


警钟 (Alarm Bell)

by luoyingu



Series: wake up, save worlds. [1]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dystopia, Alternate Universe - Space, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Author Is Sleep Deprived, Barebacking, Bittersweet Ending, Blowjobs, Brothels, Character Death, F/M, Fights, Flashbacks, Fluff, Harems, Jerkin It Together ladies n gents, Junmyeon's an ASSHOLE, Leave comments pls :), M/M, Memory Loss, Mentions of attempted suicide :(, Other Ships Not Mentioned in Tags, Plot Twists, Reunions, Rutting, Smut, but i put in smut for y'all okay i know y'all love a good smut, cause yuta doesn't think to use a fucking condom, i mean there is ANGST, maybe a sequel??? hmm..., the description is ominous but read it anyway please, there's an underground, this actually moves kinda fast
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-19
Updated: 2018-12-10
Packaged: 2019-04-04 10:38:34
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 30
Words: 85,881
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14018463
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/luoyingu/pseuds/luoyingu
Summary: Jaehyun clutched his chest and laid back down. He didn't know what to do. He saw no one. He thought he was going to die.But then, a man with red hair came into his vision."Hello. You're awake."[AU where jaehyun wakes up everyday forgetting the last. until one day he doesn't.]





	1. yī / 一 (one)

**Author's Note:**

> if this isn’t the most outlandish and longest jaeyong piece I’ve ever written....hope u enjoy tho and also sorry for grammatical errors whoop

**PART ONE: THE ESCAPE**

 

 

 

+

 

 

 

Jaehyun sat up, breathing heavily and gasping for air. He was sweaty, and the room was illuminated by light coming from outside. He rubbed his hands on the soft cotton bedsheets and looked around. The room was boring save for a desk with a old-style lamp on it. The walls were a bland beige, and there was a grandfather clock in the right hand corner of the room. Jaehyun clutched his chest and laid back down. He didn't know what to do. He saw no one. He thought he was going to die. 

But then, a man with red hair came into his vision.

"Hello. You're awake." Jaehyun is confused. Who is he? 

"Who are you?" He voices out loud. The man smiles warmly. Jaehyun thinks it's a very nice smile.

"I'm Taeyong." Jaehyun nods. Then he has another question.

"Who am I?" He asks. Taeyong cups his face.

"You're Jaehyun." Jaehyun. He repeats the name in his head a few times. Jaehyun.  _Jaehyun._

Why couldn't he remember that on his own? 

"You're all sticky and sweaty. You wanna go take a shower?" Jaehyun nods. He doesn't even know what a shower is at the moment, but if the Taeyong guy suggested it, it must be something that can help him. Taeyong takes him into the bathroom and explains to him how it works. As the semi-scalding hot water cascades down Jaehyun's back, he thinks.

Where is he? 

Who is he really?

Is that guy to be trusted?

Can he trust _himself_?

Jaehyun gripped his head. There were too many thoughts going through his mind right now. He just needed to do what Taeyong instructed him to, and then he can think once he's all the way clean. Once he's finished, he steps out and sees Taeyong holding a towel (he doesn't know how he remembers the name) for him to use.

"Wipe your body with this, and then you can put these clothes on. Once you’re finished, I'll be waiting for you outside." Taeyong gives him another warm smile, and steps out of the bathroom. Jaehyun quickly wipes himself down and puts on the clothes. He notices they're made of some soft material. He then slips on the shoes Taeyong gives him and walks outside. Taeyong is standing in another room. Jaehyun clears his throat.

"Taeyong?" He asks hesitantly. Taeyong turns around and smiles.

"You finished? I bet you're hungry. I'll make us some food." Taeyong walks to a room adjacent to the one they were standing in, and Jaehyun looks around. The house is as bland as the room was, all the colors neutral. The walls were a blinding white, and all the furnature was a deep black. Jaehyun felt out of place. He picked up something on the coffee table.

"What is this?" Jaehyun asks, turning the foreign object in his hands.

"That's called a remote, silly." Taeyong says, quietly laughing to himself. Jaehyun internally scolds himself without realizing it. If Taeyong's laughing at him, he should have known what it was.

Why the fuck can't he remember anything?

Jaehyun puts the remote down and carefully walks into the room Taeyong was in. Suddenly, it pops into his mind that this was called a kitchen. He's getting tired of his mind selectively choosing what to remember and what to block out. Why can't he just remember everything?

"I'm making udon soup, if that's okay with you." Jaehyun nods. He doesn't know if he could say anything else. Jaehyun runs his hands through his blonde hair. Since when did he have blonde hair? He remembers it being another color. He groans out loud. Taeyong gives him a look while stirring the soup in a pot.

"Something the matter?" Taeyong asks softly. Jaehyun nods.

"I can't really remember anything. How did I get here? Who are you? Who am I? Where are we?" Taeyong gives a light chuckle.

"Those are all questions that can be answered over dinner. It's a lot to explain." Jaehyun nods. He fathomed that. Part of him feels foolish for trusting Taeyong so easily, but the other half says Taeyong is all he has at the moment. It wasn't like Taeyong was posing any real danger towards him, so that side won out. He walks out of the kitchen and plops on a couch. He closes his eyes and forces himself to fall asleep, hoping he can remember more things about himself, and about why the hell he's here in the first place.

 

He feels a tap on his shoulder and he sits up, panicking.

"Fuck!" He exlaims, shooting up out of his seat on the couch. He looks around and sees an alarmed Taeyong trying to calm him down. He can't hear anything over the sound of the blood rushing through his ears. Taeyong's mouth is moving. He's saying something to him.

"Calm down! Calm down, Yoon- Jaehyun! God, please, the food is ready!" Taeyong says. Jaehyun catches onto the last part, and he catches onto Taeyong's slip up as well. For a split second, he can see down right fear in Taeyong's eyes. But, it dissapears as quickly as it came. Jaehyun had half the mind to ask Taeyong what he was about to say, but he plays it off as if he's coming down from his own fear.

"Okay. Let's go." Jaehyun says, starting to breath regularly again. Taeyong leads him to another room that's right across the kitchen. There's a table with six seats around it. Jaehyun takes one seat at the end of the table and Taeyong takes the other. Taeyong sets the bowl of soup in front of him, and the aroma hits Jaehyun so hard he realizes he's watering at the mouth. He's hungrier than he imagined. Before Taeyong can even take a seat, Jaehyun grabs a spoon and begins shoveling soup into his mouth. It's hot, and he recoils.

"Blow it off first before you dig in." Taeyong points out as he finally takes his seat and folds a napkin in his lap. Jaehyun mimics Taeyong and blows his soup before eating it, albeit quickly. Taeyong takes his time.

"Now we're eating. Who are you? Who am I? What is this? Why are we here together? I can't remember you at all." Taeyong sighs.

"This is going to sound very, very cryptic...but I don't know how else to explain it. You were put here with me for a reason. The reason is to protect you. The world outside of these very walls is one that you probably don't remember, and one that I don't think you would want to remember. Putting you in here is doing you good. I am your caregiver. I make sure you get what you need when you need it, and that's it. That's my only job. We don't know each other outside of this." Jaehyun nods. At the end of his spiel, Jaehyun detects a hint of longing, a hint of disapointment. He brushes it off.

"Okay. What is this about? Who do you work for? Can I see my family?" Jaehyun gets hit with the strongest feeling of regret. He can't remember a damn thing about his family. What they looked like, what they sound like; nothing. He can feel the tears gathering at the corners of his eyes and Taeyong looks at him with concern.

"What's wrong?" He asks. Jaehyun gives a dry chuckle. Taeyong flinches.

"I can't remember shit about my family. Even if I were to leave here, I wouldn't know what they looked like or anything. God, this is just awful." Taeyong bites his lip.

"I'm sure you'll remember them on your own time. Some of your memories are coming back right?" Jaehyun nods. Very few are coming back, but Taeyong isn't wrong. He does remember little snippets of things. But they're words, things that he thinks he could be taught in a second. He wants the memories that really count back. 

Those are the ones he's  _not_ getting.

They eat the rest of the soup in silence, and when they're finshed, Taeyong takes their bowls into the kitchen to be washed. Jaehyun watches him, and he finally has time to really look at Taeyong. Taeyong is about his height, maybe a little shorter, and he has a pretty face. He has slits in his eyebrows that Jaehyun thinks are cool, and his red hair is something Jaehyun thinks is the best thing about him. He has a slender body, and he has pretty earrings hanging from his ears. He has a pale complexion, and it isn't that far off from his own. Soon, Taeyong clears his throat, and Jaehyun blinks, realizing he was staring. His cheeks heat up. Taeyong has a smile at the corners of his lips, and he pats Jaehyun on the shoulder.

"C'mon." Is all Taeyong says, and Jaehyun follows. They walk out of the kitchen, back into the living room (Jaehyun now remembers what it's called), and Taeyong sits on the couch. Jaehyun sits on the couch to the left of him, and there's an awkward silence that follows. Luckily, there's a buzzing sound coming from Taeyong's right pocket.

"Sorry. I must take this call." Taeyong says, pulling a device from out of his pocket. He taps the screen and Jaehyun can hear someone else talking on the other end. Another person! Jaehyun's heart picks up.

"Yes....yes, he is." Taeyong says, looking at Jaehyun. In his eyes, Jaehyun can see that same unabashed fear. Jaehyun's heart drops. "Yes, I will make sure of it. Nothing- yes sir. All Hail Gaea." Gaea? Jaehyun is confused. He remembers  _Earth._ How he remembers that is beyond him, but he's thoroughly confused. Jaehyun turns to Taeyong. His skin is pale, and Jaehyun can tell he's subtly shaking with barely contained anger. It's ablazed in his eyes. Jaehyun concludes Taeyong gives everything away in his eyes. 

"What the hell is  _Gaea?"_ Taeyong sighs. He looks tired.

"Gaea is what we call Earth now. Gaea means Mother Earth in Greek Mythology. Gaea - Mother Earth - in Greek Mythology is basically coveted as the universal mother. It is said she created the universe and gave birth to the first set of humans called the Titans." Jaehyun is still confused.

"If this is all myth as you say, then why are you guys talking about it as if it was real?" Taeyong clams up.

"I can't answer that. Not like how you want me to. It's too much for right now. Do you have any other questions you want to ask before it's time to sleep?" Jaehyun shakes his head. If Taeyong won't answer that one question, he doesn't know how much he'll omit in anything else. 

"Nah, I just wanna go looking around." Jaehyun says. Taeyong shoots up. Jaehyun walks to the back of the house and Taeyong has a death grip on his arm. Jaehyun turns to pull away before he looks in Taeyong's eyes. All he sees is coldness. Pure cold. Jaehyun shivers.

"You cannot go back there. Those are my quarters and my quarters only. It is prohibited." Jaehyun nods, and rips his arm out of Taeyong's grasp. Taeyong looks hurt, more hurt than Jaehyun can process. Why he looks that way isn't something he can answer, and if he asked he's pretty sure that Taeyong would deflect.

"I'm tired." Jaehyun announces. Taeyong looks at him and nods. Jaehyun can see tears in his eyes. 

"Okay, that's um, that's good. Let's go to sleep, yeah?" Jaehyun can't do anything but nod.

 

Jaehyun takes another shower, just so he can be alone. When Jaehyun began to strip in front of Taeyong, the man turned red in the face and swatted his hands away.

"Go to the restroom and do that there!" He exclaimed, leaving and shutting the door with a little force. Jaehyun shrugged and quickly stepped in the shower. He welcomed the water and he used the little time he had to think. He was somewhere called Gaea, he couldn't remember jack shit about his life before today, he had a caretaker who was pretty yet ominous at the same time, and he was supposedly being protected by his caretaker.

But did this effort really require him to not remember anything he fucking did before? Or maybe he got into an accident, he came out scathed, and Taeyong had to care for him until he woke up which was today. That seems plausable. He enterains the idea of being a soldier, going around the world fighting to save people, and Taeyong is by his side. He washes his hair, and suddenly, he gets the most erotic image he's ever thought of. It slams into him full-force, and something tells him this is a memory, and not a dream.

 

_"We have to keep moving, Tae." Jaehyun says. His uniform is cut and torn, and Taeyong doesn't look any better behind him. Taeyong is panting, and it mixes in with his own. They've been running for the longest, and Taeyong grabs his hand and squeezes hard._

_"We cannot keep going on like this. We'll pass out if we do, and that won't do anyone good. Let's be smart and rest, yeah?" Jaehyun nods. Taeyong takes out a transmitter and presses a green button. A holigram of another boy pops up and Taeyong begins to speak._

_"Ten! Where are we, exactly?" He asks. Jaehyun stands behind Taeyong. Ten answers._

_"You're on Gaspra, a resort on the Crimean Peninsula. You've gotten away from the Titans for a while now. You're safe. Just find a place to sleep and keep moving the next day." Taeyong nods._

_"Thanks, Ten. Hold down the fort while we're here okay? We'll be back at Gaea soon." Ten snorts._

_"Of course. It's what I always do. You guys would be dead if it wasn't for me." Jaehyun pops in._

_"He's not lying. Thanks Ten."_

_"No problem." Ten's signal drops out, and his holigram dissapears. They do some more scoping and soon find a cave. They settle into it, and Jaehyun gets to hacking at a tree for firewood. Once he gets what he deems is enough, he takes it back to the cave, and Taeyong takes out packaged food._

_"So, what's the status for the other Renegades?" Jaehyun asks. Taeyong pulls out his tablet and stats show._

_"So far, we've only defeated 10 Titan regimes. That's not nearly enough. They've got us outnumbered, and the people of Gaea are in a fucking outrage that we had to start conscription up again. That was something Gaea did ages ago." Jaehyun nods._

_"This was always our calling though, right?" Taeyong nods._

_"You know it." They soon eat their food given to them, and the fire begins to die down, glowing a little now. Taeyong is curled into Jaehyun side, and they're kissing. Jaehyun can feel Taeyong's hands roaming all over his skin and his uniform and he groans at the feeling. Jaehyun gives a particularly hard nip at Taeyong's bottom lip, and the red-haired boy moans and shivers._

_"Jaehyun...don't be a tease like that." Taeyong whispers on Jaehyun's lips. Jaehyun smirks and gives a chuckle._

_"I'm nothing but a tease and you know it. I like teasing you, you're so sensitive." Jaehyun says before he bites at the juncture on Taeyong's neck between where his shoulder meets his neckline. Taeyong throws his head back and grinds his pelvis onto Jaehyun's and Jaehyun can feel how hard Taeyong is. How hard he is._

_"You're fucking cruel." Taeyong says with no malice. Jaehyun gives wet kisses on Taeyong's neck._

_"I'm not. I'm generous." He pulls back to look at Taeyong. His skin has a flushed look to it, and there's beautiful blotches of red coming to the surface. He sees the deep red of marks he's made on his neck and he smiles. Taeyong looks wrecked and he hasn't even gotten to the really good stuff yet._

_Only Taeyong._

 

Jaehyun gasps as the water hits his face. He's shaking, and he's feeling a sense of euphoria along with it. He quickly turns the shower off and whips his head around. He's back in the bathroom, and he is sure that was a memory of something that happened previously. What the fuck was that? They were at Gaspra? Titans? _Renegades?_ If that memory was an indication to anything, it was that Taeyong had indeed lied to him. He said they didn't know each other outside of this, but if his past self was about to fuck Taeyong silly, then they had a relationship deeper than just a caretaker and a man. His heart pangs with hurt. They  _had._ He wonders what went wrong. But he looks up in thought.

Who was Ten? That was another human who was obviously his friend along with Taeyong's. If he went snooping and found his contact information, he wouldn't be too sure who his loyalties lied with. Would it be with him or Taeyong? Who did they fucking work for? What was going on? He steps out of the shower, and he sees white all over his torso and abdomen. His face heats up with embarassment. He turns on the shower again to wash it off of him and he dries off. His legs shake. He can sort of understand why Taeyong would be hurt at him pulling his arm away like that. It must trigger a memory for him as well. One that probably hurt both of them. He slips on the clothes Taeyong left for him and walks out, his hair still damp. Taeyong has changed too, and Jaehyun sees how delicate he is.

Jaehyun got to sleep with this man in front of him. He saw him naked, he did things to him that had Taeyong cry out in utter pleasure. Jaehyun can't sit in front of him with this new revalation. But, Taeyong wouldn't know he knew this unless he told him, and he wasn't planning on doing that. Taeyong hadn't noticed he'd come in yet. He collected himself and walked over to sit in front of him in the dining room. Taeyong had two pills in front of him. They were both clear, but one had a turquoise blue stone in the middle, and the other one had a purple stone in the middle. There were two cups of water.

"You need to take this pill. I have to take this pill. Your pill helps you with your strength while mine deludes my..." Jaehyun looks at him.

"Your what?"

"My inner demons." Taeyong answers. He has an expressionless look on his face, but Jaehyun can see utter anguish in his eyes. Jaehyun wonders how long he had to have known Taeyong to be able to tell exactly what he's feeling even though his face barely changes. He wants to know the answer. 

"Before I take this, I need to ask you one more question. Where did we meet?" Taeyong paused.

"We met...we met..." Taeyong didn't speak for a second. Jaehyun waited. Was he going to tell him the truth?

"We met at the Imperial Office of Gaean Soldiers. Gaean soldiers are called Renegades. We're at the Imperial Office right now." Jaehyun had to refrain from smiling. Taeyong _was_ telling him the truth. "I was assigned to you there. The rest...the rest is history." Taeyong ended. He looked so far away, and he said it with a finallity that had Jaehyun feeling stuck. What happened between them? Taeyong smiled and passed Jaehyun the turquoise pill.

"Take this. I'll take mine at the same time, okay?" Jaehyun had a nagging feeling in his mind that this wasn't a good idea, but Taeyong was looking at him so earnestly that he took the pill and popped it on his tongue. Taeyong did the same. Jaehyun moved his pill around in his mouth and accidentally bit it. He felt it crack. It tasted like hell, and Jaehyun wanted to scream at the horrible taste, but Taeyong took his just fine, so he stayed quiet. He swallowed it down and Taeyong did the same. Taeyong walked over to Jaehyun and rubbed his back. Jaehyun was feeling sluggish.

"Let's go to your room." Jaehyun obeyed and followed him. Taeyong helped tuck him in, and he felt immensely drowsy. 

"Good night, Yoonoh." Taeyong whispered. Jaehyun made the move to ask him who the fuck Yoonoh was, but he felt tired trying to move, trying to even  _think._ Soon his eyes closed, and he was still. Taeyong slipped away to his room, and shut both of their doors.

 

The next day, Jaehyun shot up, breathing deeply. He felt like he was reaching to get air, and it hurt his chest with a pain so sharp he gripped the sheets tight. He believed he was about to die. But then, red hair invaded his vision.

"Hello. You're awake." The man said. Jaehyun frowned. He felt as if he was in deja-vu.

He couldn't remember the man's name, or his own.

He couldn't remember anything.


	2. èr / 二 (two)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> That was all he could say before Taeyong gave him a good one to the side of his jaw. His head snapped to the side and there was a sickening crack he heard. 
> 
> "An eye for an eye." Taeyong said. Jaehyun could feel the blood spilling from his mouth- he had bit his tongue. His head hurt and his jaw hurt even worse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (mentions of attempted suicide in here. warning.)
> 
> also:
> 
> propranolol: beta-blocker that is used with serious cases such as a heart attack. can also be used to treat severe migranes.

Jaehyun wandered around his room today. He learned the man's name was Taeyong and that he was his caregiver. Something deep inside him was shouting that he already knew this, but when he tried to think of where he had to know that from, he was just met with static every single time. The feeling of knowing but  _not_ was driving Jaehyun up the fucking wall. He had to know Taeyong from somewhere despite what the man was telling him. He could feel it. He knew more than he let on.

Taeyong was making a beef stew, and Jaehyun could smell the meat and vegetables cooking. His stomach growled angrily at him. He hadn't eaten in god knows how long. Jaehyun didn't care, though. Memories and thoughts were on the tip of his tongue, and he knew he could remember them if  _something_ jogged his memory.

He didn't know what that thing could be, though. Jaehyun walked out of his room and into the living room and sat down. He looked at the object on the table and picked it up. Taeyong wiped his hands on a towel and walked into the living room as well. Jaehyun was inspecting the foreign object when it's name came into his mind.

_Remote._

"That's a remote, silly." Taeyong explained. Jaehyun moved his lips before he could think.

"I already knew that." He said. The house became eerily silent save for the sound of food cooking. Jaehyun didn't see anything wrong with what he said. He remembered something. When he turned around, Taeyong looked deathly pale, and the male dropped the floor in a heap. Jaehyun rushed to him.

"Taeyong? Are you okay?" Taeyong turned to him and gripped the collar of his shirt with enough force to send them both stumbling back onto the floor.

"How in the  _fuck_ could you know that? How? I did everything according to plan! I did everything, everything! Everything was planned to the goddamn tee!" Taeyong goes on, rambling. Jaehyun is utterly confused and a little scared of the man in front of him. There is a look of rooted fear in his eyes, and it's plain to see over all his face. 

"I just remembered the name of the fucking remote, what the hell is your problem! It's not like I remember anything else!" Jaehyun yells, grabbing Taeyong's arms to pry him off of his chest. Taeyong pins him down to the ground and shakes his head.

"You don't get it! Oh, fuck! You wouldn't get it anyway." Taeyong says, giving up and putting his face in his hands. He's straddling Jaehyun, and Jaehyun's face reddens at the position. But there are other things to acknowledge, like the fact that Taeyong is crying.

"Why are you crying?" Jaehyun asks timdly. Taeyong wipes his eyes.

"You have to come to my room." He whispers in his ear, so low Jaehyun thinks he missed it. He remembers from yesterday Taeyong telling him that he couldn't go back there at all, that it was prohibited.

"Isn't that not allowed?" Jaehyun asked. Taeyong's eyes widened.

"It is now. Nothing matters anymore." Taeyong said, standing up and holding out his hand. Jaehyun accepts the offer and together they walk to the back part of the house. Taeyong enters a code to open his door, and once it opens, Jaehyun looks around. There's an immense amount of technology and he gasps. Taeyong closes the door and heaves a sigh out of his chest.

"I always waited for this day, but I didn't know what I would do after it happened. How you would feel towards me. Towards all your friends." Jaehyun looked at Taeyong confused.

"What?" He asked.

"The day you would beat the system." Jaehyun frowned.

"How the hell did I beat a system?" Taeyong shrugged. 

"Only you would know that. I've been doing everything like a routine for two years. I would say the same 'Hello. You're awake.' bit to you every morning, and every morning you would ask me, 'Who are you? Who am I?' You did that this morning, so I thought everything was the same. But, when you said you already knew what the remote was called, that's when I knew it was broken. Every day you would ask me what that was, and every day I would answer. I would purposefully leave it out there for you to pick up like clockwork. It was how I would have an indication that nothing had changed. Until today, that is. I knew something was off the moment you picked it up and didn't even ask me anything." Jaehyun looked at him.

"How did I forget my memories?" He asks with growing anger. Taeyong looks at the floor.

"I have to feed you a pill everyday. The purple one that I get is a placebo, while yours is real. It's a heavy, heavy dose of _propranolol_ meshed with simpler beta-blockers to erase your memory a day at a time. You've had these for two years, so think of the effects. You have two years of memories gone away, i'm presuming. The pill is really strong, so i've been told. You could have more lost." Jaehyun can't believe what he's hearing. Taeyong has been feeding him a pill taking away his memories for two years?

" _Two years? You've been feeding me bullshit for two years? Are you fucking serious?"_ Jaehyun all but yells. Taeyong flinches.

"It wasn't on my own accord! I swear-" Taeyong didn't get to finish his sentence before Jaehyun tackled him and proceeded to punch him square in his face. Jaehyun had a strong fist, and Taeyong's nose began to gush blood. He cried out in pain and Jaehyun stopped before he punched him again. That cry of pain struck him in his core. He stood up and looked Taeyong in his eyes.

"You need to tell me right now that you didn't want this for me." Taeyong was crying while blood was still going down his face. Jaehyun realized a nasty bruise would form on his face. He instantly felt a little bad. 

"No! I didn't want this for you! I've been forced to do this by the very same people who said they'd have our backs! How do you think I've felt these two years? I had to report your stats to my superiors every day for two years! I've had to watch the very same man I care about, the man I lo- the man who was a  _friend_ to me forget who I am every day! That killed me inside! If I didn't we'd both be executed on sight. I prayed and prayed everyday that you'd find a way out of this, and you did. How did you beat the pill?" Jaehyun was confused. How  _did_ he beat it? He took it last night. Then he remembered. And it came  _easy._

"I accidentally bit into it. I can't remember everything, but I can remember splotches of yesterday, and splotches of other things." Taeyong smiled.

"All you had to do was bite it? Fuck, I could have told you to do that-" Taeyong started but then he stopped. And he began to cry even more. Jaehyun didn't run to comfort him, he just watched.

"I could have figured it out years ago! I was just so afraid, you were always the one who was pushing me to do what I needed to do. You were always the strong one in our friendship. I was so weak. I'm still weak. I didn't even defend myself when you punched me, because I deserved it! Fuck, I'm so sorry Yoonoh." Jaehyun looked up.

"You whispered that name yesterday night." Jaehyun said aloud. Taeyong looked up.

"Yoonoh is your real name. Jaehyun is what you went by to the public. When you were a public figure, that is." Jaehyun furrowed his eyebrows.

"I was famous?" Taeyong nodded.

"Our whole division was famous. You were captain. I was second-in-command." Jaehyun remembered the memory he had yesterday viciously. Despite his simmering anger at Taeyong, he still felt a foreign fondness for the man in front of him.

"We need to stop this. Go clean yourself up. If you need help, I'll help you but we need to do this quick. We have to figure out what to do now, and where we go from here." Taeyong smiled at him. Jaehyun grimaced. He really did a number with his face. 

"You're really back." Jaehyun gave a grim look.

"I can't remember who I was. I don't know who that guy is. I just know I'm me right now, and maybe I'll get back to whoever that was, but I know it won't ever be the same. I'm really fucking angry at you. But, less now. Let's just get you cleaned up." 

 

"Ouch!" Taeyong cried out, gripping Jaehyun's arm hard enough to bruise. And Jaehyun supposes he deserves whatever bruises Taeyong gives him from this. 

"Hold still, I'm almost done." Jaehyun's memories were coming in hazy, but rapidly. Parts were missing, and that saddened him, but he could remember a lot more than he could an hour ago.

"They never told me how rapid the memories would come back if they even came at all if you stopped taking the pill. I couldn't tell you anything. I'm just glad this is all over." Taeyong said. Jaehyun finished patching up his nose (something he remembered how to do with the help of Taeyong) and he frowned.

"You'd be a bloody fool to think that this is the end of it. And you are a bloody fool." Jaehyun said, gesturing to Taeyong's white shirt that was stained with his own blood. Taeyong sighed. He looked at Jaehyun with unyielding anger.

"Listen, I get that you're mad at me. But I might haul off and roundhouse kick you if you make another jab at me. I just got you back, and you're already being an ass. I guess I deserve that; I was in part of making you take the pill, but you know why I did it. You were under a blissful state of ignorance while I almost ended up killing myself because I had to live with the fact that my whole division was broken up, Gaea shunned us all, and you couldn't remember my first fucking name every time you woke up. So, I would appreciate it if you would would please let up on the jabs because you're not the only one  _fucking angry."_ Taeyong wretched out. Jaehyun stayed quiet. 

"I have been overly harsh. You didn't deserve that pun-" That was all he could say before Taeyong gave him a good one to the side of his jaw. His head snapped to the side and there was a sickening crack he heard. 

"An eye for an eye." Taeyong said. Jaehyun could feel the blood spilling from his mouth- he had bit his tongue. His head hurt and his jaw hurt even worse.

"Now, I'm going to go contact an old friend. I didn't need your fucking help patching up my nose, but I had to get you to remember something about first aid." Taeyong said with malice, standing up and walking out of his own bathroom. He left Jaehyun who felt utterly lost.

He had a feeling of immense love. Taeyong kept calling himself weak, but Jaehyun could only think of him as strong. Taeyong whipped out his phone and took a deep breath dialing an old number.

"Hello?" The voice on the other end said. 

"Hey, Yuta. It's me, Taeyong." Jaehyun could hear the other man on the line.

"Taeyong?" Yuta asked in shock. Taeyong laughed but it sounded pained.

"Yeah, it's me. You know I would never dial your number unless it was something serious." 

"You could have dialed my number anytime." Yuta said hurt. "You put it all upon your shoulders to deal with Jaehyun. We would have helped you." Jaehyun was reminded once again how selfless Taeyong was. He felt like a complete idiot. Yes, Jaehyun had free range to be mad at Taeyong, but Taeyong was the only one who cared for him.

"You know I couldn't have let that happen seeing as how it was me who slipped up. I ruined- that's not what I called you to talk about. Yoonoh remembers." Yuta stayed quiet on the line.

"Are you serious?" He asked. "This could change everything." 

"I'm dead serious. He remembers things now. He accidentally bit the pill, causing it to crack. Apparently, it had to stay intact and dissolve as a whole to work properly. That's what I'm assuming." Yuta clicks his tongue.

"You need to get outta there. What about the guards? What about- what about  _Junmyeon?"_ Jaehyun was confused. Who was Junmyeon?

"Junmyeon isn't a threat to me anymore."

"Okay. I can be there in two days tops. I'm on Phobos right now. You have to play this out until then. Report that he doesn't remember anything and that he's doing fine for two days. I promise I'll be there in enough time. I have to round up some more people who are willing to help me. Can you do that?" Taeyong nods.

"I can do that." Yuta sighs.

"I'm so glad he remembers. Does he remember me? Does he remember the division?" Taeyong makes a noise from the back of this throat.

"He doesn't remember much. When he sees you, I'm sure he'll remember something else." Yuta laughs sadly.

"Well, that gives me something to hold onto while I get there, yeah? See you soon, brother." Taeyong smiles although Yuta can't see it. Jaehyun can.

"I'll see you soon." The call disconnects, and Taeyong stands in place, death gripping the phone in his hand. 

"Who is Yuta?" Jaehyun asks timidly. Taeyong stays quiet.

"Yuta is someone who was formerly on our team. He was a damn good sniper. He also picked up on languages quickly." Jaehyun can't form a face, and he feels ashamed. Yuta sounded happy at the prospect of Jaehyun remembering him.

"I'm sorry; I can't-" Taeyong sighed.

"We did damage to our faces, which isn't good. But, Junmyeon doesn't send anyone to check in on us for another two days, go figure. I just pray Yuta gets to us before they do, or else we're going to have to fight." Jaehyun shook at that statement.

"I don't know how to fight." Taeyong gave a dry laugh.

"Yes you do. Your instincts will kick in. You were always that type of guy." Taeyong said fondly. Again, he had that far away voice. Jaehyun wanted to ask more questions but he could tell Taeyong was tired.

"Do you ever leave me here?" Taeyong shook his head.

"Sometimes while you're asleep. The pill knocks you out until mid-day, so it's close to nighttime right now. Sometimes they call me down there to just talk. We used to be on top, but now we're the lowest of the low." Jaehyun stands up and rubs his jaw. Taeyong doesn't offer an apoligy, and Jaehyun puts his hands on Taeyong's shoulders.

"Is the food done, or is it burned?" Taeyong sighs.

"It's probably fucked." 

"Let's make something simple. Let's do it together. You need to inform me on some more things." Taeyong gives a lopsided smile while Jaehyun shoots him one back.

"The simplest thing we can make is a sandwich."

"Then let's make a sandwich."

 

"Guess we're eating BLTs." Taeyong said as he grabbed the bacon out of the refrigerator. He set out a pan and began to cook them.

"What do you want to know?" Jaehyun thinks.

"I remember what you told me yesterday. Did you lie to me when you told me how we met?" Taeyong shook his head.

"I didn't. That's how we really met. We both wanted to be Renegades, and when we met each other, we were assigned to each other. We were also assigned with other people as well. Yuta was one of them. There were more." 

"Who were they?"

"There were so many of us. Their names were: Taeil, Kun, Doyoung, Ten, Sicheng, Jungwoo, Lucas, Mark, and Johnny." Jaehyun couldn't conjure up faces at the moment, but the names sounded familiar.

"Tell me about Ten." Jaehyun asks, remembering the vivid memory he had yesterday. Taeyong nods.

"Ten was our tech guy. He and Kun worked closely together on that. Kun was being trained by Ten, but he was still good. Ten was the nicest guy you could ever meet. He was our saving grace half the time. He really saved our asses." Taeyong says with longing.

"You miss him." Jaehyun says.

"I miss all of them." Taeyong answers quiet. Taeyong takes the freshly cooked bacon out of the pan, and both he and Jaehyun get to fixing their sandwiches quietly. There's no need for words to be exchanged right now. Besides, neither would know how to start a conversation. Once that was finished, they both sat at the dinner table.

"So we need to fake like I can't remember shit for two more days?" Taeyong nods.

"Yes. It should be easy. They check the pill packet to see if I gave it to you, so what you need to do is crush these bad boys up until they're a fine powder, then pour it down the drain. That's the easiest way to get rid of them. Flushing the pill whole could come back to bite us in the ass sooner." Jaehyun nods and bites into his sandwich. 

"What if someone comes to check on us sooner?" Taeyong shakes his head.

"Junmyeon likes routine. He wouldn't do that unless there was a threat, which there is no threat." Jaehyun looked puzzled.

"Who is Junmyeon?" Taeyong sighs.

"He's the chief of Gaean Soldiers. He was appointed by his father who passed away two years ago. He's ruthless, and three of his men left him because of how power hungry he is. Truly a terrifying guy." Jaehyun blanched. If Taeyong said he was terrifying, then he must be.

"He can't find out a single detail about this plan, or else he'd have us executed in front of everyone. He'd display it on national television and call us people of treason. The public absolutely adores him because of the facade he puts on. They'd hate us instantly, and they'd beg Junmyeon to kill us. We'd be dead before we even walked up the stage to get hanged." Jaehyun feels like throwing up. 

"So he's like that, huh?" Taeyong nods.

"You were supposed to be the chief, bloodlines be dammed. You were better in every sense of the title than he is." Jaehyun's heart swells a little at the words Taeyong says. Jaehyun finishes his sandwich and asks Taeyong if he was going to finish his. Taeyong shook his head.

"Well, more for me, then." Jaehyun said, scooping Taeyong's onto his plate. Jaehyun bit into it, and when he looked up, Taeyong was smiling at him softly. The look sent him for a loop.

"What?" He asked, his mouth full of food. Taeyong let a fond giggle slip.

"You'd always do this. If I never finished my food during training, you'd always take it from me. You'd always say 'more for me'." Jaehyun nodded while biting the sandwich again.

"Oh. Good to know." Jaehyun said, finishing the last of it. He dusted his hands off in the air and smiled. Suddenly, Taeyong was leaning out of his seat and he was reaching for his face. Jaehyun's heart began to pick up. Why was Taeyong getting so close to him? His thumb stopped at the corner of his mouth, and he swiped to the right.

"You had sauce on your face." Taeyong said. Jaehyun could feel how hot his face was.

"Oh, uh. t-thanks." He sputtered. Taeyong gave a sly look out of his face, and Jaehyun felt like he was being mocked.

"You're welcome. Now, go to bed. I have to make another phone call." Jaehyun looked at Taeyong.

"You're not gonna hide anything else from me, are you?" He asked. Taeyong shook his head.

"There are no more secrets. Anything you wanna know, you can just ask me." Jaehyun nodded.

"Who are you about to call?" 

"Someone to save our ass if Yuta doesn't come in time." 

"Who is that?"

"A man by the name of Heechul. Kim Heechul." Jaehyun didn't get a face for him either.

"He's someone that you may or may not remember. You did only meet him once. He's rather stealthy, and he only is seen when he wants to be. I have to round up enough money for him, though. He does his jobs by money and money only." Jaehyun nods. 

"Well, goodnight then." Taeyong came up to him and brushed his bangs out of his face.

"Goodnight, Yoonoh." 

It occured to him he never asked why they were in this predicament in the first place. No matter; he could ask the next day, or a week from now.

He believed Taeyong would be honest with him.


	3. sān / 三 (three)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "What the fuck did we do two years ago that got us into this mess?" He says aloud. Taeyong sighs.
> 
> "Many, many things." 
> 
> "You're gonna enlighten me on those 'many things', right?" Taeyong nods.
> 
> "Of course. But for now, we wait."

"This is it. Today is the day." Taeyong said, hovering over Jaehyun. Jaehyun didn't wake up feeling like his lungs were going to explode anymore. He woke up feeling peaceful. His dreams were memories though, and the one he had yesterday was about him first learning how to ride a bike. He now can remember what his parents look like, and he broke down crying, telling Taeyong all about it yesterday.

"Okay. So what do we do first?" Jaehyun asked. They had packed all of the belongings they would need the night before. It was the bare minimum, and the bags were light to carry. Taeyong had given him an outfit to wear, and he put it on after Taeyong left his room. Taeyong had his on, and he realized something.

"Are these uniforms?" He asked. Taeyong nodded.

"If Yuta doesn't come in time, I already talked to Heechul and he's coming. I have the money for him in my bag. We have to pretend to be soldiers and meet Heechul at the pick-up point. From there, we'll hop in his carrier until he takes us into the Martian system. I love Yuta, but we need a Plan B. If Yuta shows up, I'll call him and tell him where we're at so he can pick us up." Taeyong explained. The uniforms were green (camoflauge he remembers), and the shoes there thick sandy brown boots. Taeyong had taken his earrings out, and he put on a wig. Jaehyun put on a wig as well (they were both black), and they both put in contacts (Taeyong's blue, Jaehyun's green). 

"So how long do we wait until we start this?" Taeyong looks at his watch.

"Heechul told me the Renegades are having a procession around the town to commemerate a historical battle today around 11 o' clock. I forgot what battle it is, but I'm sure we can be fine without remembering it. When it hits 11, there's a secret passageway that leads to another part of the Imperial Office. I don't know if they did that purposefully or not, but if we get cornered, you know how to use your gun." Jaehyun nods. Taeyong spent all yesterday showing him how to use it.

"Once there, we're going to fake move into the procession, then meet Heechul at Rhea Station. It's the station that can literally take you all around Gaea. Gaea long ago used to be broken up by countries, but that's not the case anymore. They all joined together (some tetonic plates still float around Gaea) and now it's one big, vast landscape. We have to get on SkyTram number 127." Taeyong laughed.

"What's funny about that?" Jaehyun asked, fixing the camoflauge hat over his head.

"127 was our divison's number in the Renegade system." Taeyong explained. Jaehyun gave a noise of understanding.

"Once we get on there, Heechul will meet us on there as well. We'll stop at whatever stop Heechul gets off at, hop into his carrier, and then I'll call Yuta to inform him of our side plan. He'll more than likely pick us up at a Fueling Station." Jaehyun nods. He grabs his bag.

"The anticipation is eating me alive. I'm ready to get out of here." Taeyong nods.

"You're not the only one. I've had to act like I still give a shit about this planet for two years. I'm so ready to leave." Jaehyun looks at Taeyong.

"What happens if they realize we're gone? Where are we going to go after this?" Jaehyun asks. Taeyong sighs.

"Once we leave, we'll be Refugees of Gaea to every other planet, but people of treason to Gaea. We won't be able to come back without a death wish over our heads, and if any other planet finds out, it could mean war. I'm positive Junmeyon would be petty and try to bring war into this." Jaehyun's hands begin to sweat.

"What the fuck did we do two years ago that got us into this mess?" He says aloud. Taeyong sighs.

"Many, many things." 

"You're gonna enlighten me on those 'many things', right?" Taeyong nods.

"Of course. But for now, we wait."

 

Eleven comes faster than Jaehyun wanted it to. His stomach is in knots at the prospect of being caught, and when Taeyong leads him to the passageway, he all but grabs the other man's hand.

"I'm scared.' He reveals as they walk down the dark tunnel together. They have to hunch, and it smells dank and musty. Like it hasn't been used in a long time.

"I'm scared, too. The doubts of it going wrong overpower my positive side." Taeyong says back to him. Jaehyun nods in understandning. Taeyong has a flashlight out and soon they get to a door.

"Pull it quietly. I'm behind you with a gun." Taeyong instructs. Jaehyun sees it's a door where you have to twist a wheel, so he gets to twisting. The door groans and creaks, and Jaehyun hopes and prays to a higher power that the soldiers think it's just from the walls with age. Once he gets it open, its the slowest pull he's ever done in his life. He peeks around and sees clean white marble. There are some soldiers around mingling with each other and he ducks back in the tunnel.

"What's up?" Taeyong asks.

"We can't go in there yet. There's too many people." Taeyong nods.

"You're right. We wanna make this clean as possible. Keep watch and tell me when they leave." Jaehyun peers at the crack again, and he waits. It takes about five minutes (but it feels like an eternity) before the soliders leave the room. Jaehyun checks from every angle thrice before he ducks back down.

"The coast is clear. I'm going up. Cover for me." Jaehyun instructs. Jaehyun's eyes have gotten adjusted to the dark, and he sees Taeyong nod. Jaehyun quietly pulls the door all the way back and cleanly hops out of the tunnel. His feet hit the floor, but it's close to silent. He concurs he learned how to do that years ago. Taeyong comes out just as clean, ready to strike. 

"Now, we keep our heads down and we find this procession as quickly as possible. If someone asks about the bags, I'll do the talking. I can conjour up an excuse as to why I'm out, but under no circumstance do you bring your head up unless it's to fight? Got it?" Jaehyun nods, his head already positoned at the ground. Taeyong leads the way into the heart of the Imperal Office, and Jaehyun follows.

 

"Did you hear that order Junmyeon gave out? That shit was difficult as hell!" One soldier complained. 

"You're not lying. I hated that." Another said. Jaehyun kept his head down. They were at the back of the line for the procession, and their bags were firmly on their shoulders. When someone asked why, Jaehyun was impressed with the answer Taeyong gave.

"We have snacks for everyone once the procession is finished. I'm in the low rank after all, it's the least me and the newbie could do. He's shy, he's barely said a word to me since he's come. I guess he knows about the rumors, huh?" Taeyong asks, laughing. Everyone gets visibly uncomfortable and they turn away. Smart. Make them uncomfortable so they don't talk to you. Or notice what you're doing.

They march slowly from the Imperial Office out onto the streets of Gaea. Jaehyun looks up a little and he's astounded. Buildings as tall as the clouds stand straight up in the sky, and everything is surrounded by technology. Drones wander the streets, and people are dressed to the nine for this occassion. He absentmindedly wonders what battle their commemerating.

"People of Gaea." Jaehyun hears a voice boom. The soldiers stop marching and look straight ahead. He looks out the corner of his eye, and he sees Taeyong do the same. "It is I, Kim Junmyeon, Chief of the Renegades." The people of Gaea cheer and the sound is massive and deafening. Jaehyun wants to cover his ears. But, he stands straight.

"Today, we commerate the Battle of the Cosmos, the first battle my father led as Chief and won. He watches us from the clouds today, and I can say that I am truly grateful I have his wisdom and teachings to get me through my term as Chief. I love you, Father." The townspeople cheer again, and if anything it got louder. Jaehyun sees right through his phony speech, and he calls bullshit in his mind. The soldiers begin to walk again, and Jaehyun and Taeyong follow. Jaehyun trusts Taeyong, who said he would know when to make a break from it. They pass through a dark tunnel, and the cheering from the townspeople cease. They're marching in twos, and Taeyong gets closer to Jaehyun with each step they take. He turns and whispers in his ear.

"There's no way we can get out of here without someone noticing. When we get out of this tunnel, I need you to book it to your left and try and blend in with the townspeople, okay? Do it to the best of your ability and if someone asks, say you dressed up to feel festive. Once we do that, push and I mean  _push_ your way through the crowd until you get to Rhea Station. Meet me in the men's bathroom. We  _will_ get separated. Okay?" Jaehyun nods. Taeyong squeezes his hand and he can see the light at the end of the tunnel. He's preparing himself to run, and when they get to the edge of the tunnel, he hears rather than sees Taeyong running. He blasts off as well, and merges himself with the crowd. Jaehyun's sure a soldier or two noticed, but that can't be his concern right now. He meshes himself deep within the crowd and adjusts his wig. He unbuttons his uniform and laughs.

"Why're you dressed like that man?" A guy asks on his right.

"'Cause i'm feelin' festive, is why!" Jaehyun answers back.  _Just like Taeyong said._

"I gotta take a fuckin' piss, excuse me." He says, and like that he's pushing himself through the crowd. He gets rude remarks and cries from women, but he cannot be bothered with that right now. He hopes and prays Taeyong made it out. He hopes Heechul and Yuta come through with their ends of the plan. He hopes he doesn't get caught.

 

Rhea Station is pretty when he looks at it. Everything is clear, but they have tints of different shades of green on them. It's like a wonderland, and Jaehyun almost stops. He doesn't though, and books it to the men's restroom. He closes himself in a stall, and quickly grabs his bag to change into his clothes. He discards of the uniform, and puts on a red long sleeved shirt, and gray sweats. He keeps on the wig, contacts, and boots though, and he keeps on the chain Taeyong gave him.

 

_"This was your chain when we were training. I kept it with me all this time." Taeyong said the night before._

_"Really?" Jaehyun asked. Taeyong nodded._

_"I wanted to give it to you when you remembered who you really were. I know you'll never really get back to him, but it's yours anyway." Taeyong said._

_"Put it on me." Jaehyun said, lowering his head. Taeyong sucked in a breath and slipped it around Jaehyun's neck. His hands smoothed the chain down, and they came to rest on Jaehyun's chest. Jaehyun's cheek had a nasty bruise, but so did Taeyong's nose and he knows it's fair. Taeyong's hands on his chest feel so right. He looks Taeyong in the eyes._

_"I'm going to remember everything. I'm going to try. I'm going to remember everything about us." Taeyong gasped._

_"How do you know there was an 'us' like how you're saying?" Taeyong whispered. Jaehyun could tell him about that memory now, but he decides against it._

_"I just know. Trust me, yeah?"_

 

He waits and waits until he hears three knocks, two seconds apart. Then come a succession of five quick knocks. He whips open the stall door and sees Taeyong.

"Thank fuck. How did you know I was in this stall?" Taeyong smiled.

"The boots. No one else would have those on." Jaehyun's glad he left them on. Taeyong dresses quick, and he's in a green hoodie, and black sweats. He keeps on his boots, too. He slips on a red cap while Jaehyun slips on a yellow one.

"Now we find SkyTram 127. Heechul should be on it. He said to look for a green cap with a red H on it." Jaehyun begins walking up the steps to the Trams with Taeyong by his side and backpack slung over his arm.

"Did he get the hat with the H on it on purpose?" Jaehyun asks, trying to lighten the mood. Taeyong gives a little chuckle, and Jaehyun feels good.

"That would seem like a very Heechul thing to do." Taeyong muses. They luckily find the Tram, and they squeeze in with the others. Both of them get to scanning for the cap Heechul described and when Jaehyun spotted it, he tapped Taeyong.

"He's over there in the corner. He's reading a newspaper?" Jaehyun asked. Taeyong nodded.

"Leave it to him to act like a grandpa." They both shuffled their way over there, and Taeyong tapped the man's shoulder. When he looked up, he nodded.

"You did well." He said suprised. Jaehyun tsked.

"Did you think anything less?" 

"Yes." Heechul said bluntly. Jaehyun was taken aback.

"I have the money for you in my bag." 

"You give it to me when we're safely in my carrier. And I mean, all of it." Taeyong gave Heechul a hard look.

"It's all there. I'm not a cheat." Heechul nodded and went back to looking at his newspaper. Taeyong whipped out his phone and dialed a number.

"Where are you guys?" Yuta asked.

"We made a Plan B. I think we're going to the Western side of Gaea now, though, so fly that way. Find a fueling station and then call me and tell me which one it is." Yuta scoffed.

"Plan B. Did you not think I'd get there in time?" He asked appalled. 

"Time management was never your forte." 

 

Heechul taps both of their shoulders and they step off the SkyTram onto the loading docks. The Western side of Gaea was more plains, and Heechul called for a cab.

"We're going to one of my bases. I have bases all over this galaxy. If you tell where this is to anyone, I'll kill you." Heechul said once they all stepped into the cab. The cab driver was completely oblivious; he was listening to coverage of the procession over the radio. Jaehyun and Taeyong nod. It doesn't take long to get there, and Heechul pays the man. They walk up to what looks like a barn.

"A barn? This is it?" Jaehyun asks. He remembers things and what they are quicker now. Heechul shrugs.

"You get what you can. Plus, people think barns are old and outdated compared to the technology we have now. This is the perfect inconspicuous spot for me. C'mon, I have my carrier ready. Get the money ready!" Heechul sang as they trekked up the hill to the barn. 

"Did anyone see us when we dashed?" Jaehyun asked. Taeyong sighed.

"Maybe one or two people, but everyone wrote me off as crazy years ago, so I don't think they would say anything. They'd just think I'd lost it and tried to..." Taeyong let the sentence die. Jaehyun wanted him to continue, but Taeyong gave a firm vibe of don't-bring-it-up. Jaehyun stayed silent. 

Heechul's carrier was sleek and white. It had the pilot's seat in the front, and three seats in the back. Taeyong fetched the money and all but slammed it in Heechul's hands.

"There's the damn money." Taeyong said. Heechul inspected it and slapped it in his palms three times. He walked to the back of the barn and put it in a safe.

"Pleasure doing business with you. When you step in the carrier, call your friend. Make it quick, I have things I need to tell both of you." Taeyong nods. They both hop in the carrier with Heechul in the front, and when it takes to the sky, Taeyong calls Yuta.

"Where are you now?" Taeyong asks.

"I'm at Fueling Station number 5 on the Western front. I was about to call you, whaddya know?" Yuta said cherrily.

"We'll see you soon." Taeyong said. He ended the call.

"He's at Fueling Station 5." Taeyong told Heechul. He nodded.

"I'm someone who does odd jobs for people. But I have learned a thing or two in this galaxy. Pick and choose who you trust  _very_ carefully. I looked both of you up, and you're in some deep shit. But, I think I have an idea of what you're trying to do, Taeyong. I think it's a good plan, just make sure everyone is on the same page. I mean  _everyone._ One person out of wack messes up the whole bunch, and you don't need that now that you're living the life of refugee. Check behind your back twice, and make sure you're aware of _everyone's_ intentions." Taeyong nods. 

"Thank you." After 20 minutes, they pulled into Fueling Station 5, and they stepped out of Heechul's carrier.

"I believe this is where my journey with you ends. I wish you both the best of luck. Stay safe. Gaea is not your home anymore. If you need another job, though, you can call me." Heechul said. Taeyong nods.

"Thank you again." Jaehyun smirks.

"Yeah, thanks. You're pretty cool." Heechul smiles as he revs his carrier up again.

"The coolest." He swiftly pulls out of his spot, and Taeyong begins searching for Yuta's ship.

"I can faintly remember what it looks like." Taeyong told Jaehyun. Suddenly, they hear a loud "Taeyong!" being yelled. They turn around and see a man with brown hair and glasses on come running up to them. Taeyong breaks out into the biggest smile, and Jaehyun is suprised.

"Yuta!" Taeyong calls out. Yuta ends up hugging Taeyong, and he spins Taeyong around who's laughing. Jaehyun gets hit with a nauseating feeling of jealousy, and it makes him weak in the knees. Yuta ends up puttng Taeyong down, and he carefully turns his head to Jaehyun.

"Jae?" Yuta asks. Jaehyun looks in his eyes, and he ends up getting another memory.

 

_"I beat you." Jaehyun says out of breath. Yuta rolled his eyes and laid down on the track of the Renegade training field. Everyone else had left ages ago, complaining of being hungry, but Yuta had challenged Jaehyun to another race._

_"Fuck you. Actually fuck you, man." Yuta says, laughing. "You barely beat me. I own your ass next time we race." Jaehyun laughs._

_"Those are some big words? You sure your legs can back it up?" Jaehyun taunts. Yuta sits up and looks Jaehyun dead in the eyes._

_"Oh, you bet."_

 

"Yuta?" Jaehyun asks, his voice cracking. Yuta smiles and Jaehyun's eyes water. 

"Man, have I missed you." Yuta brings him into a bone-crushing hug. Jaehyun returns it and sniffles.

"C'mon, my ship is this way." They walk down the fueling docks until Yuta stops. 

"This is my baby." He says, smiling wide. Yuta's ship is medium sized, and Jaehyun is impressed. 

"Don't just stand there, come aboard!" Yuta said, pushing the two inside. It was sleek with chrome everywhere, and Taeyong gasped.

"How the hell did you get this?" Taeyong asked. 

"After we all split up, I switched between living on Phobos and Deimos. Working in their mining fields helped me get a lot of money, and when I earned enough, I bought this bad baby. She's my pride and joy now." Jaehyun sits down while Yuta sits at the control center. Taeyong sits next to Jaehyun and Yuta steers them out of the fueling docks into vast space.

"Where are we going now?" Jaehyun asked aloud.

"To my home on Phobos. I have clothes for both of you. The government is way different there than it is on Gaea, so be warned." Taeyong clicked his tongue.

"Explain it to me. I can't fully remember."

"In the Martian System, all the planets there base their government off of a Harem. Phobos and Deimos (and Mars) all work based on this system. They're all led by different emperors. In a Harem system, there's a certain heirarchy. First there's the emperess, who's the emperor's "official significant other". The only people above them are the emperor and the emperor's mother. What they say, goes. Same for the emperor and emperor's mother, but she doesn't really get into official affairs. Then there are consorts and concubines. The only men allowed into the Harem are eunnuchs. These men cannot under any circumstance consummate with a consort or concubine. Both classes belong to the emperor, so if they fraternize, that's straight treason and they die, no questions asked. Anyone else is a peasant living on the planet." Jaehyun and Taeyong nod.

"Are you either?" Jaehyun asked. Yuta shook his head.

"Hell no. I could never survive that. Living in the Harem is difficult beyond belief. It's like imprisonment, except you're guaranteed to fuck the emperor. Competition is inevitable, and we commoners hear stories of men and women dying because there were conspirators against them, killing them to gain their status." Jaehyun whistled low.

"Sounds crazy." Yuta turned his controls the left, dodging an astroid.

"It  _is_ crazy.. I stay away from anything Harem related, and while you're here you should, too. Other than that, it's a paradise. They have parties all the time for no reason, and the people are hospitable." Taeyong and Jaehyun both take in the information.

"We really did it. After two years, we did it." Taeyong said. Jaehyun smiled at him.

"We sure did, didn't we?" Yuta propelled them into another system, and Jaehyun squeezed Taeyong's hand with his while Yuta whooped.

"I can't wait to get the gang back together!" He shouted. And even though he couldn't remember everything, Jaehyun couldn't wait either.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heechul is important but you'll see him later. it's not a spoiler lmao


	4. sì / 四 (four)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He stood up and rushed back to his room, grabbing some pants, and he rushed out of there again. Luna stopped him.
> 
> "If you leave, you will be committing treason! You cannot leave without the emperor's approval!" Jaehyun groaned. What was up with planets and fucking treason? 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (mentions of attempted suicide in here...warning.)

The whole time Yuta was flying was spent with Jaehyun and Taeyong trying to learn the customs and mannerisims of people on the planet. Phobos and Deimos were both similar in make-up, but were different in terms of climate. Both were immensely hot, but one was dry sand-land while the other was more on the mountanous side. When they were getting close to Phobos, Yuta handed them clothes.

"You can't wear those clothes; they'll know you came straight from Gaea." Yuta explained. He was right. They both quickly put on the garments, and Jaehyun felt kind of exposed. It was a white cloth shirt, the ends crossing each other so his chest was exposed. He was given baggy green pants and dark brown sandals. He ditched the wig and contacts and his eyes and head thanked him for that. Taeyong did the same, but he was dressed in a long, puffy sleeved purple cloth shirt that had a turtle neck, red pants with gold embellishments on them, and light brown sandals. Yuta himself had on a cloth that seemed to all be one piece. It also exposed his chest, and the legs were baggy, but they came to his knees. He had on dark brown sandals that strapped up his shins, and the cloth was a blue gradient.

"We look amazing. I'm ready to go!" Yuta said, parking his ship at the fueling docks. Jaehyun was grateful the cloth wasn't thick, because the minute they stepped off the ship he was hit with a heat so intense, he wanted to sweat his whole body out. Taeyong felt it too, but his cloth was so pastel, Jaehyun could see his whole torso. His cloth was thin, too. Yuta's was thicker than both of their cloths, but Jaehyun assumed that he had become accustomed to the heat. Jaehyun caught himself looking at Taeyong's torso, and he felt his face warming. He looked away and cleared his throat.

"So, what do we do now?" Yuta shrugged.

"You guys can just look around until my baby Natasha here gets her fill." Taeyong furrowed his eyebrow.

"You named your ship  _Natasha?"_ Taeyong asked, laughing. Jaehyun found himself laughing too.

"Shut up! Natasha is a  _great_ name, thank you very much!" Yuta yelled at him, sticking his tongue out. Jaehyun felt light for once in a long time. At least for as long as he could remember. Jaehyun looked around and saw people who were dressed in the same garb filling their ships. Jaehyun was momentarily caught up in it all. He had escaped with Taeyong from the planet that enslaved him for two years. He turned to Taeyong.

"Tae!" He called out. Taeyong was suprised Jaehyun called him that, but he rushed over to him nonetheless. Jaehyun realized Taeyong had put back on his earrings, and they glistened in the sun. Jaehyun was caught up by Taeyong's beauty that he kind of zoned out.

"Jaehyun!" Taeyong said, smacking him on his chest with his hand. Jaehyun blinked and rubbed the spot Taeyong had hit.

"I called you over here because I need you to tell me why we were in that situation in the first place." Taeyong's playful demeanor changed into a serious one.

"Okay." Taeyong looked over the vast land (it was mostly sand), and sighed.

"When we were famous to all of Gaea, Junmyeon's father was still alive, but he was on his deathbed. He favored you, but he also liked his son. The Titans had come from another universe far away from the one we're in right now. We were fighting them in war - because they had declaired it first - and we were assigned a mission. It was on Gaspra. When you said why do we take myth as reality, well it's because humans long ago believed it was myth. But, that just wasn't the truth. Their technology was miniscule compared to ours, so they would have had no way of knowing that the stories they believed were fake were real. That Titans were real beings who thirsted for blood and ultimate power." Jaehyun listens.

"Gaspra was our downfall. After we had gotten separated from the rest of the team, we had-" Taeyong halts for a second. "we had done  _things._ _"_ Jaehyun pretened he didn't get what Taeyong meant.

"Ten had located us the next day and we had boarded the ship again. When the Titans inhabited Gaspra, we fought them with everything we had. Johnny and Sicheng were badly hurt. You were kidnapped. I was devastated. While you were gone, Junmyeon told me...he told me he loved me. I didn't know what to do with that, I just knew his feelings weren't reciprocated." Jaehyun almost choked. Junmyeon was in love with Taeyong? Then putting him as a low rank was just petty revenge. 

"Junmyeon was our superior, and once you were found you went and told him information that you had learned. You wouldn't tell the rest of us; you only told Junmyeon because you were naive and you  _thought_ you could trust him to take it to his father. You were wrong. Whatever you told Junmyeon must have changed everything because Junmyeon had almost beat you till you were dead. You wouldn't talk to anyone, let alone me. You were silent the whole time. You were so bruised and battered. There was so much blood." Jaehyun's hands trembled.

"You were put above the Judical Court for treason. Whatever you told Junmyeon, he twisted it to make it sound like treason. I knew that wasn't the case, so I stepped in and fought for you. We eventually got the deal that you had to be placed in care. Everyone else wanted to help care for you, but I took the responsiblity upon myself. I didn't cover your back good enough on Gaspa. It was my fault you were kidnapped. The care wasn't like how I imagined though. I couldn't tell anyone; it would ruin Gaea's angelic image. The only people who knew were our division, Junmyeon, his father, and the Judical Court. If anyone told, we'd die. There was no wiggle room. So, I stayed quiet. I did what I was supposed to, which was feeding you the pill. I went to meetings with Junmyeon where he tried to get me to accept marriage with him. I refused every time. I didn't love him. I never loved him." Jaehyun was feeling sick.

"I just kept praying something would change. I couldn't see any of our friends for years and neither could you. The first months were rough. You would instantly remember what happened, and you thrashed, you fought. You looked at me and you pleaded me to end it, but I couldn't. All of our friends had dispersed to god knows where, and Junmyeon had me on survaillance 24/7. I just looked away, and that killed me everytime. Once, I tried to end it. I was going to...I was going to slit my wrists, but I soon got a call from Junmyeon that startled me. I hesitated and I nicked myself, but the cut wasn't deep enough. I cried in the bathtub while tending to my wounds. I never made another attempt again." 

"I'm glad you didn't." Jaehyun said firm. Taeyong gave a small smile. The wind was blowing his red hair and Jaehyun was again filled with a feelng he could only describe as love.

"I'm glad I didn't either. I knew you would come through, even if it was an accident. A happy one." Jaehyun frowned.

"What the hell did I tell Junmyeon?" Taeyong shrugged.

"I have no idea. You didn't tell any of us. I feel if you could remember it, you could have some leverage over Junmyeon and we could-" Taeyong paused. "I'm getting ahead of myself." Jaehyun shook his head.

"No, continue."

"I don't want to live as a refugee for ever, Jaehyun. I want to go back to Gaea and live there again, dooing what I loved, which was saving people. If we were able to overthrow Junmyeon, then he wouldn't have a hold on the people anymore! They all listen to him, and even though Gaea is  _said_ to be like a democracy, we all know its a dictatorship, with the leader being Junmyeon." Jaehyun nods.

"If we _were_ able to do that, we'd need help." Taeyong smiles.

"Hence why I want to get the gang back together again. And so they can see you, of course." Taeyong adds at the end. Yuta whistles.

"C'mon, lovebirds, Natasha's waiting!" He shouts, ducking back inside the ship. Both of their faces heat up, and Taeyong rushes to the ship while Jaehyun watches him. He smiles.

 

"So, they left." Junmyeon says quietly. "You all let them leave?" Everyone stays quiet.

"Which one of you is going to answer me?" He shouts. Chanyeol flinches in his seat while Sehun clears his throat.

"They faked being in the procession. They used the passageway that was supposed to be sealed. Someone didn't do their job years ago. I don't know who they had to help them, but they're gone." Junmyeon began humming a tune. Jongin broke out into a sweat, and Baekhyun was shaking in his seat.

"Can't anyone here do their job right? I always have to do shit my fucking self." Junmyeon bites out. He dials a number and smiles. Minseok doesn't like that smile. It makes his skin crawl. Jongdae puts his head in his hands. Three rings and then a deep voice answers.

"I've been waiting for you to call me." The voice says.

"Let's skip pleasantries." Junmyeon says. "Are you ready to see your old pal Jaehyun again?" He asks. Lucas gives a deep rumble of laughter.

"I'd be delighted. If they really left, then I expect to get a call from Taeyong soon. Do I kill him?" Lucas asks. Junmyeon growls.

"Why would you even ask that? No, you kill Jaehyun in front of all his friends, and then you bring Taeyong back to me unscathed. Got it?" He snaps. Lucas makes a noise of agreement.

"Very well then. I'll report to you soon." The call ends. Junmyeon folds his hands in front of his face.

"It's time for Jaehyun's little adventure to end."

 

Yuta navigated Natasha carefully onto the landing deck by his home. 

“She rides easy, and lands easy. If I find a woman that’s anything like Natasha, that’s it. I’m marrying her.” Taeyong laughs as he steps off the ship. 

“You mean when Sicheng comes back.” Yuta’s cheeks turned a deep red. 

“You shut your mouth!” Taeyong laughed while Jaehyun looked around. The houses were more like shacks, and some didn’t even have landing decks. Phobos has less technology than Gaea, but it wasn’t too far behind. People roamed the sandy streets, and he saw some kids kicking a ball around, laughing. A man with a deep tan came over. He had a clean cut beard, dark floppy hair, and he was ripped. He wasn’t wearing a shirt; he was just wearing orange bottoms and sandals with a gold chain around his neck. His eyes were a deep blue, and he made his way over to Yuta, who embraced him in a handshake. 

“Ramos! Man, what’s up? Yuta said. Ramos smiled. 

“Y’know, dodging the common concubine, the usual.” 

“How do you do it, man?” Yuta said laughing. He turned to Jaehyun. 

“Oh! This is my friend, Jaehyun. The other guy over there is Taeyong.” Ramos set his eyes on Taeyong, and Jaehyun felt that disgusting feeling of jealousy again. Yuta’s wasn’t necessary, but maybe Ramos’ was. Ramos smiled at Jaehyun, but he walked to Taeyong and took his hand, kissing his knuckles. Taeyong blushed. Jaehyun looked downright mad, and Yuta glanced at him worriedly. 

“Welcome to Phobos.” Ramos said. Taeyong’s lips parted, and he gave a small smile. 

“It’s good to be here.” He finally said. Ramos nodded. 

“I hope to see you all at the party tonight?” Ramos said, his eyes lingering on Taeyong’s form. 

“Oh, yeah. Definitely. Gotta show these two how you Phobian people get down.” With that, Ramos left the way he came. 

“I don’t like him.” Jaehyun says after a pregnant pause. Yuta smirks. 

“Why is that?” Jaehyun looks at him. Yuta was trying to get him to admit something he wasn’t ready to acknowledge yet. 

“Never mind. It’s nothing.” Taeyong looked at him concerned. 

“You can speak your fears, you know that right?” Taeyong said, putting his delicate hand on Jaehyun’s shoulder. 

“Yep. I know.” He said curtly, passing by both of them and walking into Yuta’s house. Yuta and Taeyong both shared a look as they went inside as well. 

 

"Hop in!" Ramos says when he pulls up to Yuta's house. The sun has set long ago, and the vast land is cloaked in darkness save for the light of the moon and stars. Ramos pulls up in something that resembles what used to be called a  _Jeep_ long ago on Gaea. Jaehyun wonders what it's called now. Ramos grabs Taeyong's hand and ushers him into the front seat, leaving Yuta and Jaehyun to cram into the back. Jaehyun gives a deep huff of unsatisfaction.

"Dude, what's up? You've been hostile to Ramos ever since you met the guy which wasn't that long ago." Yuta mutters to him as he straps on his seat belt.

"I just don't  _like_ the guy, okay? Do I need a reason?" Yuta looks at him.

"Yes. I've known Ramos since I arrived on this planet two years ago; the guy is nothing but nice. This is about Taeyong, isn't it?" Jaehyun stayed still.

"No. It isn't."

"Don't lie to me, man. I know you." Jaehyun was getting irritated.

"No, you know the  _old_ Jaehyun. You don't even know me." He spat. "I don't even know myself." Yuta gave him a hurt look and turned to look out the window. Taeyong had caught the last of their conversation and shot Jaehyun a look. It said _behave._ Jaehyun sighed and tapped Yuta's shoulder.

"Look, man. I'm sorry. I'm just-" 

"It's fine." Yuta said interrupting. "I just, I guess I just thought I could jump into our usual talk like how we used to. I guess that was foolish. Don't worry about, alright?" Even though Yuta had forgiven him, Jaehyun felt a sort of emptiness from his words. He wanted to take back what he said greatly, but he could only move forward now. The car propelled over the sand, and soon Ramos stopped at a place that was draped with colorful cloths. The hues made the inside glow, and Ramos hopped out the vehicle. He helped Taeyong down who thanked him while Yuta and Jaehyun hopped out on their own.

"Welcome to the party." Ramos said. There were people playing instruments, people smoking  _ganja,_ the smell assaulting Jaehyun's nostrils. People were dancing, and there were some women who were the center of attention, dancing seductively while men threw trinkets at them, whooping. Food was being passed around, and laughter was in the air.

"Fuck this, I'm smoking. I'll see you guys later, yeah? Don't get too worked up!" Yuta said, walking over to the circle filled with men passing the pipe. Jaehyun was confused. Wasn't ganja  _marijuana?_ That substance was forbidden on Gaea, so Jaehyun concludes Yuta must have started smoking it when he arrived on Phobos. Ramos was tugging Taeyong along, who spared another glance at him. He winked, and Jaehyun's cheeks bloomed. He had to stop being flustered at the mere thought of him. Jaehyun was left alone. Well, Yuta was close to him but in a matter of minutes, Yuta would  _far away_ from all of them.

Jaehyun grabbed a bread roll off of the table and swayed to the music that was playing. It was an addictive rhythm, and he just stood there, watching everything. Soon, he felt someone tap his shoulder. 

"Hello there." This person was dressed in a yellow garb that was so delicate, Jaehyun thought it would fall off of their shoulders if he brushed it. They had on silver sandals, and an assortment of expensive looking jewlery on them. There was a piece hanging from their nose, and it had a blue jewel on it. Piercings went up their ears, and they had a gold band around their head. Red stones dangled from their hands, and they gave Jaehyun a blinding smile.

This person was loaded.

"Uh, hi." Jaehyun said, smiling softly. 

"You're not from around here, are you?" Jaehyun shakes his head. 

"You look like you could be from Caia. Is that so?" Jaehyun couldn't tell this person where he was really from, so he shook his head.

"That would explain the pale skin. Why are you here?" 

"I'm with a guy named Ramos." The mystery person's eyes light up.

"Ramos, you don't say?" This person grabbed Jaehyun's arm.

"My name is Luna." The person says, their long brownish-reddish hair falling down their shoulders. 

"Hi, Luna." Jaehyun said. Luna tapped her chin in thought.

"How's about you come with me? You seem low. You need to have some fun!" Jaehyun pondered the thought. If he stayed here, he would have to witness Yuta getting high as a kite, and Taeyong possibly getting too friendly with Ramos. Neither enterained him. So, against better judgement, he spoke.

"Yeah sure? Where's the fun at?" 

 

Jaehyun woke up with his head hurting like hell. For a second, he thought he was back on Gaea, and he panicked, sitting up and looking around frantically. He wasn't met with boring beige walls. He was met with walls covered in peach and gold hues, and his bed had baby blue curtains around it.

_Baby blue curtains._

He was not in Yuta's home. The bed was the softest material he's ever slept on, and he stretched his back out. He groaned loudly, and a woman he didn't know came out. 

"Oh, you're awake." She says softly. Jaehyun looks at her puzzled. 

"Where am I?" He asks. She looks at him and smiles.

"You're at the emperor's palace. And you're the Harem's newest eunuch. Jaehyun's eyes widened. Yuta had warned him about this. He shot up out of the bed - not realizing he was ass naked - and pushed past her. He ran and ran until he collided with someone. He rubbed his head and looked up. Luna stared him in the face. She looked concerned. He jumped back from her as if she was hot.

"What the fuck did you do? Why am I an  _eunuch?"_ Jaehyun asks. Luna looks down in shame.

"The Harem consorts put the task on me to find another eunuch for the Harem. We needed another one, seeing as how the last one was slain." Jaehyun's body went cold. Yuta wasn't lying; they killed out of sheer want of power. He had to get out of here. He stood up and rushed back to his room, grabbing some pants (these were made of a denser material, he noticed. perks of being rich.) and he rushed out of there again. Luna stopped him.

"If you leave, you will be committing treason! You cannot leave without the emperor's approval!" Jaehyun groaned. What was up with planets and fucking  _treason?_

"Then let me see the emperor. I'm a traveler, I don't stay anywhere  _long._ I knew I shouldn't have listened to you." Jaehyun snapped at her. Luna had tears in the corners of her eyes. She was about to cry. Jaehyun couldn't be bothered to give a shit. He knew that if he stayed, he would have to wait this out until he either died, or was killed.

Neither were happening to him if he could do anything about it.

"The emperor doesn't arise until mid-day. You'll have to wait. I'll take you to him as soon as he wakes up. I apoligize; but I was forced to do this." Luna said, her voice wobbling. Jaehyun sighed and clapped her hard on her back.

"Save the apoligies. To show me you really mean it, you're gonna help me get the fuck outta here. Alright?" Luna nodded frantically.

"Okay! I will!"


	5. wǔ / 五 (five)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I, Emperor Cha Hakyeon of Phobos, challenge you to fight for your freedom. If you defeat me, it means I am dead and that you are the new Emperor. If you lose, you die." Jaehyun put his hands up.
> 
> "Woah, hold up. Don't you think those standards are too drastic? I mean, you'd really risk your life just to fight me and you don't even know me! At least have a cool ass backstory before you make a declaration like that!" Jaehyun yells in a frenzy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> somebody save jaehyun

Taeyong slapped Yuta. 

"Ouch! That fucking hurt!" Yuta cried.

"You just had to go and get high! If I ever see any more ganja, I'm keeping it away from you!" Yuta scoffed.

"You can't talk, either! You went and probably fucked Ramos!" Taeyong gasped.

"I did not!" Yuta sighed.

"Well, neither of us were there for him, and now he's vanished!" Taeyong's heart was racing. It was like the events at Gaspa were replaying again. Yuta grabbed him. Ramos came rushing into Yuta's house soon after and clasped his hands together.

"I found some information concerning Jaehyun." Taeyong sat up off Yuta's couch while Yuta still had a hold of his shoulders behind him. 

"What is it?" Taeyong asked frantically. Ramos sighed.

"He was picked up by a concubine. He wouldn't have known. Her name is Luna and she's new. I'm presuming...I'm presuming she lured him in to be the Harem's new eunuch." Taeyong almost passed out.

"An eunuch? How? Jaehyun doesn't even fit what eunuch material is!" Yuta exclaimed. Ramos nods.

"I said the same thing, but the emperor must be getting desparate for some sort of order in the Harem. They're getting ready to have the confrence with Deimos soon, and you know how the emperor is. He wants to outdo Deimos to get in good with Mars. Having an uneven amount of people will make Phobos look really bad." Taeyong began to cry.

"How do we save him?" Ramos spoke.

"He can ask for his freedom. He'll have to fight for it though. All of Phobos will be watching." Yuta turns to Taeyong.

"If you remember our studies from when we were training, it's similar to what humans would call gladiators." Ramos nods.

"It's either kill or be killed in this type of situation." Taeyong sobbed. 

"Knowing Jaehyun's hot-head ass, he's gonna obviously agree not knowing shit!" Yuta couldn't do anything but chuckle at Taeyong's statement.

"Jaehyun's one of the strongest people I know. He'll get through this." Taeyong's eyes widened.

"Yuta. I know who we can call to help Taeyong." Yuta furrowed his eyebrows. 

"Who?" 

"Call Johnny." 

 

Luna walked Jaehyun down the hall to the emperor's room. Jaehyun was right behind her in only gray bottoms and his chain around his neck. When Luna entered the room, she bowed. Jaehyun did the same. He figured if he wanted to make this quick, he needed to follow the customs. Luna stands in the middle of the room, and Jaehyun stands behind her. He looks up and sees a man with black hair and a stone cold face looking back. He blanches. This might be harder than he imagined.

"Emperor Cha Hakyeon of Phobos, I newest concubine Luna along with newly appointed eunuch Jaehyun come to you with a request." Luna speaks loudly, bowing after her sentence. Jaehyun bows again, and Hakyeon turns his head to an elderly woman. Remembering what Yuta said, that must be the emperor's mother. But where was the empress?

"Very well. You may speak of your request." Hakyeon says, and Jaehyun feels a trickle of fear cast its way down his spine. The amount of authority Hakyeon has over all these people was astounding, and Jaehyun begins to sweat a little. Luna turns to Jaehyun. She nods her head. They had talked about this before they went into his room. Jaehyun and Luna switched places and Jaehyun spoke.

"I wish to request breaking my ties as the newly appointed eunuch." Jaehyun says, his voice booming against the walls. He's met with Hakyeon rolling his eyes.

"You haven't even been the eunuch for a fucking day, seriously?" Hakyeon cries out. His mother slaps him over the chest. Hakyeon clears his throat.

"My apoligies. But, I am getting fed up with everyone backing out on this prestegious honor. Wait a second." Hakyeon leans out of his regal chair and his black robes with intricate designs of flowers and fish sowed onto it move as well. 

"Where are you from. It is not here." Jaehyun clammed up. He faintly remembers where Luna mistook him from yesterday.

"Caia." Hakyeon sucks his teeth. 

"Caia. That would explain the pale skin." Jaehyun fought the urge to snort. "No matter, you are on Phobos now, and you will abide by our rules. Except, you look like a worthy opponent." Jaehyun furrowed his eyebrows. Opponent? What the hell was this man on?

"You're strong-willed. Most would commit suicide before asking this request." Jaehyun's eyes widened. What had he just gotten himself into? He makes a mental note to yell at Luna. She can't explain things for shit.

"I, Emperor Cha Hakyeon of Phobos, challenge you to fight for your freedom. If you defeat me, it means I am dead and that you are the new Emperor. If you lose, you die." Jaehyun put his hands up.

"Woah, hold up. Don't you think those standards are too drastic? I mean, you'd really risk your life just to fight me and you don't even know me! At least have a cool ass backstory before you make a declaration like that!" Jaehyun yells in a frenzy. Hakyeon is quiet.

"I have ruled upon this throne since I was seven. I have done nothing but tend to Phobos' needs. I haven't had any real action come to me until today. No one has dared to request breaking ties, making you a worthy opponent to fight me. A show-down this shall be." Hakyeon claps his hands, and Luna quickly walks out of the room, Jaehyun in tow.

 

After they left the emperor's room, Jaehyun paced back and forth.

"Where are my belongings?" Jaehyun asked. Luna smiled.

"They're in my room! C'mon!" Luna led Jaehyun towards his room. He was met by concubines and consorts alike. They gave him looks of pity and looks of lust. He ignored all of them and gingerly stepped into Luna's room. She passed him his clothes. In his clothes he found the phone Yuta had given him. He cries out and thanks fuck that he hadn't left it at Yuta's house. He quickly finds Yuta's phone number and presses it.

"Hello?" Yuta asks with caution.

"Oh, holy fuck! It's you!" Jaehyun yells aloud. Yuta cries.

"Oh, Jaehyun! Fuck, are you okay?" Jaehyun nods even though Yuta can't see him.

"I'm fine! I just- I just have to do something." He hears the phone being moved around and Taeyong's voice comes through.

"What do you have to do?" Jaehyun chuckled nervously.

"I have to fight the emperor to the death, y'know, somethin' like that." Taeyong was quiet.

"I swear to god, Yoonoh! I'm gonna beat your ass the next time I see you-" The phone is abruptly snatched from Taeyong to Yuta.

"Ignore him, he's just worried. We're gonna get you out of there, alright? Just hang tight, okay?" 

"Alright. But there's no way I can get out of this. Hakyeon has it out for my fucking head." Yuta nods.

"We'll just have to get there before any real damage is done. When is the fight supposed to be?"

"Tomorrow. When the sun is at it's highest peak." Jaehyun said, lowering his head.

"Then that means Johnny basically has a whole day to get here. He's not that far." Jaehyun furrows his eyebrows.

"Johnny? Someone else from our divison?" 

"Yeah! You're gonna meet him!" Jaehyun smiled at the prospect.

"Alright. Guys, try your hardest to get here in time." Yuta laughs.

"We'll be there. Count on us. We've got your back." 

Jaehyun gripped the phone as Yuta hung up. Luna looked at him.

"What now?" She asked. Jaehyun smirked.

"Now, I beat a fucking emperor."

 

"Lucas, this is great! I'm calling the others!" Johnny said. Lucas chuckled.

"I can't believe after all this time, he's really obtained his memories again." Johnny laughs.

"This is the best news I've heard in a long time. We're all gonna be one big, happy team again." Johnny said.

"Yeah. One big happy team." Lucas said. They soon hung up, and Lucas scowled. 

"Damn log-looking idiot ruining my fucking morning." He grumbled. Jungwoo frowned at him.

"I hate you, you know." The smaller boy voiced. Lucas laughed.

"If that was the case, you wouldn't be with me right now, would you?" Jungwoo spat at the ground he was close to.

"I'm only with you because I have to be. Make no mistake, if I wasn't in the most compromising position where my life wasn't threatened, I would have killed your ass by now." Lucas sucks his teeth.

"But, you love me. Love wins everytime." Jungwoo looks at him with wet eyes.

"I loved you. But now you're a sellout." Lucas smiled.

"I'll show you." Lucas said. He had a double motive anyway. 

Junmyeon was dead to him the moment he stabbed him and his whole division in the back.

 

Taeyong was preparing with first-aid supplies in his hands, god forbid Jaehyun need them.

"You got everything?" Yuta asked. "We have to be ready as soon as the sun rises tomorrow." Taeyong nods.

"I have everything." Ramos nodded.

"We should rest in the ship." He suggests. Yuta nods and all three of them board the ship.

"Oh shit, Johnny's calling me. I gotta go take this." Yuta announces, walking to the breaker room in the back of the ship. Soon, its just Taeyong and Ramos. Ramos comes and abruptly takes Taeyong's hands in his. Taeyong almost recoils.

"Jaehyun will be fine. I can see how worried you are about him." Taeyong nods.

"Yeah. I hope so." 

"You two must be very close. Have you guys consummated the relationship?" Taeyong blanched at his terminology.

"Uh- we- um..." Taeyong stammers. Ramos laughs.

"So you have. You are in love, no?" Taeyong shakes his head yes. He can't deny it anymore.

"Then I know you will do everything in your power to make sure he comes out of the arena alive. Make that promise to yourself as well." Taeyong nods at his words. 

"Oh, his stupid ass is coming on this ship one way or another. Believe that."

 

Jaehyun wakes up and there are about 10 people in his room watching him. He shoots up and screams, backing into the headboard. One of the people he notices is Luna and he groans.

"Luna, what the fuck are these people doing in here? I'm naked!" One of the people perk up.

"Naked you say?" The man says from the back. Jaehyun wraps the sheet around his frame.

"Naked and staying covered." He hisses. Luna sighs.

"They are to help you get ready in traditional Phobian garb so that you can fight properly. I came to help and to ease your anxiety because fuck, I thought you were going to haul off and punch one of these guys." Jaehyun sighs and visibly deflates. 

"Fine. Let's do this or whatever. But no peeking while I put on my pants! I said no peeking!" Jaehyun says. Luna sighs.

"If you want I can take you to the waterfall. I don't care about you being naked. It's nothing I haven't seen before." One concubine gasps.

"So it is true! You did fuck him!" Jaehyun chokes on his spit.

"Hell no! I ran out of here ass naked because I was terrified! I had thrown up on my clothes and she helped me. Jesus, you people love to speculate and gossip." Jaehyun sucks it up and steps out of his bed. He can feel the stares of the consorts and concubines on him and he stands next to Luna.

"Hurry." He whispers, and they both rush out of the room, and Jaehyun can feel every inch of wind on his body. After Luna takes him to the waterfall, Jaehyun washes the dirt and grime away from his body there. He knew he was going to get dirty later, might as well be clean now. Soon, the other concubines and consorts come as well, and they start to set cloths and paints around him. 

"What's going on?" Luna stops washing his hair.

"The tradition." She goes back and Jaehyun lets himself relax for a second. He's nervous, but the reality of the situation hasn't really settled with him yet. He feels...numb.

After he washes himself off, he wraps a towel tightly around his frame, and three women come around him. They begin to rub him with some scented oil.

"This is weird." He voices out loud. One of the women gives a high-pitched laugh.

"Not weird for us." She says. Once they finsh with that, two men come and begin painting on his face.They started with a white paint. Then, they began to blend it with red, and colored his eyes with black. They made his lips black as well. Jaehyun stayed silent the whole time. Once they were finished, he looked at himself in a mirror they offered him. He looked different. Scary. He looked like a fighter. They soon made him stand up, and they put him in a red robe with a black belt around it. The ends of the robe bunched up into pant legs so he could move about freely. He was completely bare torso up, and they tried to get him to take off his chain.

"No!" He yelled. "Tuck it underneath all of this. The chain does not come off." The consorts and concubines obeyed him. After he's fitted on his rings and adorned with jewlery to the tee, he asks a question.

"Where is the empress?" Luna sighs.

"She doesn't like to come out. Her and Hakyeon's marriage is rocky. She absolutely hates the fact he has concubines and consorts. In her eyes, love is only to be shared with one person. Hakyeon loves her, it's just in the hierarchy, the emperor's mother has more say than the empress. She's outspoken everytime. So, she did the only thing she knew how to do. Lock herself in the palace, and never come out. She rarely ever talks to Hakyeon. You might be able to see her today because of the event. It only depends on if she's willing to come out or not." Jaehyun sighs.

"So you mean to tell me this man is following his mother's orders? He won't even listen to the woman he supposedly loves?" Luna nods. Jaehyun scowls.

"I already had a penchant of dislike for this guy, but after learning that, it's growing bigger." Luna stays quiet. He turns to everyone.

"Do you want me to beat him?" He asks aloud. Someone speaks up.

"I can't say for sure. Phobos has functioned well because of his ruling. But the way he takes on us concubines and consorts is cruel. We had lives before this too, y'know. Some people want the fame and the emperor's attention. Some whisper about killing the empress to become the new one, and some conspire to kill the mother. Being in this Harem changes you. Most of us wish we could leave and become commoners again, but we're not as bold as you. You aren't even from here, so you wouldn't understand." Jaehyun does understand all too well. But he doesn't comment, and he just nods his head.

"Seems to me like the problem isn't Hakyeon. It's his mother. He follows her orders all the time. If she said jump, his ass would say how high." Luna and some others chuckled at that. 

"His mother is downright untouchable. Hakyeon would kill his wife before he let her die." Heechul told them to check to make sure where people's loyalties lied.

"Seems like his loyalties lie with his mother. His wife must know this, so she keeps herself locked up. Maybe she's plotting as well, who knows? I want to see her." Jaehyun announces. Luna shakes her head.

"Not gonna happen. Hakyeon would battle you right then and there." Jaehyun stands up.

"Wouldn't hurt to try."

 

Luna leads him to the empress' door.

"I never took you here, got it? You found it on your own." Luna said, ducking down and running the opposite way. Jaehyun carefully knocked on the door, and he was greeted by a beautiful woman.

"Who are you? Did Hakyeon send you?" She said softly. It was as if she hadn't used her voice in a long while. Jaehyun had to strain himself to hear what she even said.

"No one sent me. I'm the person that's supposed to fight your husband to the death." Her eyes widened.

"That's why you have the paint on your face." She says to herself. "What do you want?"

"Could I talk to you?" Jaehyun asks. The woman sighs. She opens her door a little more and Jaehyun slips inside.

"I am not from here." Jaehyun starts. "I'm from Caia." The lie comes easy now. The woman is skinny, and she's pale, but not by a lot. Her hair is very long, it almost touches the floor. She has a delicate, round face, and she stares at him.

"Caia...that would explain-"

"-the pale skin, I know." Jaehyun finished for her. She chuckled at that.

"Why are you fighting my hus- Hakyeon?" She asked. 

"You hesitated with husband. Why?" Jaehyun asked her back.

"I asked you a question first." Jaehyun put his hands up.

"I was tricked into becoming and eunuch. I want out, so I requested to break ties. Your husband deemed me worthy of fighting, and now he wants to fight me today." The woman rolled her eyes.

"He was always impulsive." Jaehyun stilled.

"If I could have it, your name?" He asked. She nodded.

"How silly of me. My name is Xiao Wu." Jaehyun nods. 

"Hello, Xiao. I came to speak with you because I am not going to kill your husband. We should make a plan right now to overthrow his mother." Xiao's eyes get big. She looks afraid.

"That isn't possible." Jaehyun smiled.

"Anything is possible if you put your mind to it. Don't you want the man you love back? I had a talk with the consorts and concubines. They don't want this as much as you hate it. They had lives as well before they were dragged into the Harem. Don't you want it destroyed?" Xiao sighed, tears gathering at the corners of her eyes.

"Hakyeon would never forgive me if I, if we overturned his mother. Our love would end. But, I am tired of being trapped in here. I was destined to be Hakyeon's wife since we were seven years old. I learned all the customs, I atteneded all the parties, and the shows, and the meetings. I did everything an empress was supposed to do. But, I was forced into this life. I wanted to be an artisan when I grew up. That was completely erraticated once I began my empress training." Jaehyun looked at Xiao. He felt sorry for her.

"Here's a secret: Hakyeon never wanted to be emperor. He was the oldest out of his brothers, and his mother forced him upon the throne. Had he not taken it, his mother wouldn't have the power she has today. She was- she has never looked out for Hakyeon's needs. She only cares about herself. I partly locked myself in these walls, but she plays a big part as well. She threatened my life, I had to protect myself! Hakyeon's too blind to see through his mother's facade. She doesn't care about him!" Xiao was crying now. Jaehyun took her hands in his.

"If you help me, we can overthrow her, get you back to your husband, and bring down this Harem system. Are you in? Because I have a plan." Xiao debated this for a second.

"I'm in. If Hakyeon can't see how toxic his mother is, then we can't be together. I cannot keep living my life locked up like this anymore. I needed someone like you long ago to give me a push." Jaehyun smiled.

"Well, you got me now and that's what matters. So here's the plan."


	6. liù / 六 (six)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "That's it! I'm ending this." Hakyeon runs to grab his sword, and all but plowed his way towards Jaehyun. Jaehyun's eyes widened in realization. Hakyeon's sword nicked him on his torso, and he could feel the blood running down his body.
> 
> "Ah!" He screamed in pain. It was red-hot, and he could feel his knees buckling. He touched the wound, and blood was all over his hand. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the showdown!

Yuta flew Natasha cautiously while Ramos and Taeyong were in the back.

"He hasn't called us again! What if we're too late?" Taeyong says. Ramos sighed.

"The sun hasn't reached its highest peak yet. If anything we're too early." Yuta nods.

"Early bird gets the worm. Or in this case, Jaehyun." Taeyong nods.

"So we're sneaking him out of there?" Ramos looks ahead. 

"Seems like that's gonna be harder than we think. The cavalcade is starting." The cavalcade consisted of the emperor Hakyeon and his advisors riding on horseback while his opponent (Jaehyun) was right behind him. The citizens of Phobos cheered them on. Taeyong looked at Jaehyun and gasped.

"What the fuck is the paint for? Hakyeon's face is clear as day! He has on royal garb!" Hakyeon was dressed in white robes with detailed patterns of red stitched into it. He had a silver headpiece pinned into his hair. His hair was slicked back, and both women and men alike swooned at the sight.

"He's the opponent. They always get paint to stand out." Taeyong saw they both had swords strapped to their backs.

"So what do we do now?" Taeyong asks. Yuta curses.

"Fuck. I'm gonna have to land this somewhere else. There's too many people nearby." Ramos thinks.

"We could sneak into the palace. Taeyong, you look like you could be a concubine if you put on enough makeup." Taeyong hissed.

"No way! I'm not becoming one of those snooty people!" 

Yuta and Ramos forced Taeyong to sit down as they both put on the makeup.

"Get off of me!" Taeyong shouted. Yuta sighed.

"This is for Jaehyun, alright! You also might get laid looking this good, so shut up will ya?" That earned a hard elbow jab to Yuta's side. He groaned. Ramos nodded.

"He isn't wrong." They made do with what they could and Taeyong was dressed in purple robes. He still had on his same sandals, but his face was adorned with light makeup. He had a fake piercing in the middle of his bottom lip, and his silver earrings hung from his ears. Ramos had taken his rings off and put them on Taeyong's hands.

"There! You look like a concubine." Taeyong sighed.

"I look like a mess." Yuta tsked.

"Jeez. You look great. Now let's sneak you in the palace so you can see your boy toy!" Another elbow jab.

 

Taeyong was more than upset. He was livid. He had Yuta and Ramos on the sides of him in the palace, and people were staring at him like they wanted to devour him left and right.

"I am  _highly_ uncomfortable." Taeyong whispered. Ramos smiled.

"You just need to act like you want to be a new concubine until we see Jaehyun. Then you go over to him, both of you make a romatic speech, and we usher him the fuck out of here." Taeyong rolled his eyes. He knew the plan backwards adn forwards. That didn't mean he  _liked_ it. Soon, everyone became still. Yuta pulled on Taeyong's arm and he became still as well.

"People of Phobos. It is I, your ruler, Emperor Cha Hakyeon." A chorus of cheers erupt and Taeyong stays quiet, his lips set in a tight line. 

"Today, you will get to see your Emperor in battle. Someone has challenged me, and I have graciously accepted it. He is a foreigner! A mere man from Caia! Come out, opponent!" Jaehyun stepped out from behind curtains, his face paint set. He looked angry, and Taeyong began to furiously stare at him. If he looked at him long enough, maybe Jaehyun would glance his way.

"State your name!" Hakyeon demands.

"I am Jung Jaehyun of Caia, and I have challenged you to fight for my leave of the Harem." Jaehyun stated. He dripped seriousness, and Taeyong was reminded about how sexy he was. He began to sweat.

"Very well. Enjoy your last minutes of peace, because when sun reaches it's highest peak, chaos is the only thing coming your way." Jaehyun smirked. Taeyong felt that in his chest.

"I welcome it." Jaehyun began to glance around the crowd, and when his eyes landed on Taeyong, he stilled. Taeyong tried to convey every message he wished to say in his eyes.

_Be safe. Don't be stupid. Protect yourself. We will get you out of there. I love you, I love you, I love you._

Jaehyun glanced away and Taeyong put his head down, blinking. He was going to cry if he didn't get a grip. Hakyeon clapped his hands, and people began to mingle again. Jaehyun stepped off the stage with a woman in expensive cloths in tow. He carefully made his way over to Taeyong.

"What are you doing here?" He hissed. Taeyong furrowed his eyebrows.

"Saving you! Now, c'mon. Yuta has his carrier ready and we're going to meet Johhny-"

"I'm fighting him." Jaehyun said firmly. Taeyong motioned for all of them to move to a more secluded place. As they moved to the garden outside, Taeyong turned.

"Who is she?" 

"This is Luna." Jaehyun said. Taeyong's fists began to shake.

"She's the wretch that drugged you! You're lucky I have decorum, or I would have knocked you out by now." Taeyong seethed. Luna cowered.

"I'm so sorry. Harem life is- well, I think you know. I don't need to explain anything. Just know I am deeply sorry for my actions." Taeyong turned his attention away from her and put it back on Jaehyun.

"What do you mean you're fighting Hakyeon? Why would you do that when you have an out?" Jaehyun shook his head.

"This is bigger than just me trying to get out of here now. Hakyeon's wife Xiao is locked away because of the emperor's mother. She's the one who really controls Phobos. She's just using Hakyeon as a puppet to get what she wants. Xiao has to protect herself by locking herself away. She wants to overthrow her, and I have a plan, but now that you're here, I'm gonna need all of you guys' help." Taeyong sighed. Jaehyun was such a martyr.

"Alright. What is it?" Jaehyun smiles. He puts his arms around Taeyong and envelops him in a hug. Taeyong sucks in a breath.

"I knew you would agree. We both want to help people." Taeyong ran his fingers through Jaehyun's hair.

"You're not wrong there." He breathed out. Jaehyun pulled away. Yuta pouted.

"Aw, I wanted a kiss!" He said. Luna and Ramos laughed while Taeyong made the notion to slap him. Jaehyun pulled all of them together.

"Now, when I go to fight Hakyeon, Xiao is going to come out of her room and she's going to slip poison in the emperor's mother's tea. Hakyeon will be distracted with fighting me to even notice. Johnny needs to be there to pick Xiao up once it's done." Taeyong tapped his chin.

"So you're just a distraction?" Jaehyun smiled.

"Exactly." Luna frowned.

"So Xiao wants to be with Hakyeon? He's such a fool, though." Jaehyun shakes his head.

"Love makes you do crazy things." Yuta scoffed.

"You'd know a hell of a lot about that, right?" _Another_ elbow jab.

 

Everyone was in positon. Jaehyun was waiting with Luna by his side to walk out into the arena. He sighed.

"What are you going to do once this is all over?" He asks her. Luna shrugs.

"I'm not entirely sure. I want to be a teacher, and it's what I would study privately in my quarters. I don't know who's going to rule honestly, but if Hakyeon has any traits from his mother, this plan might not work out entirely." Jaehyun had considered that.

"Yeah, but this time he'll have Xiao right by his side. She should beat some sense into his head." Luna nodded.

"You have your sword ready? Do you even know how to fight?" Jaehyun looked around nervously.

"I hope my brain lets me remember. Or muscle memory. Whichever comes first." He says quickly. Luna gives him and look and smiles wide.

"The sun is at it's highest peak now! Go get em', tiger!" A bell sounded and the ringing carried across the land. Luna and Jaehyun were behind the doors to the arena, and they opened slowly. Seats stacked high surrounded the arena, and people were ready to see quite possibly the showdown of their lives. Luna patted him on the back.

"Walk out there. Taeyong and Yuta are in the crowd. Ramos and I will meet with Xiao. We all know the plan. Good luck!" Luna says, and she turns and runs down the corridor. The heat is intense, and everyone has shawls over their heads to protect them from the sun and sand. Taeyong and Yuta are in the crowd, a purple shawl over Taeyong's head while a green one adorns Yuta's head. Yuta took his glasses off and wiped them on his clothes.

"Damn, the wind is unforgiving today." He mutters. Taeyong nods, and he's squinting.

"You said it. Oh, I'm gonna hate watching this." Yuta sighs.

"He can fight, Tae. He'll win. Or he'll hold out until we need to leave." Hakyeon had two consorts come up and they remove his robe and cloths. He's left with black flowy pants on, no shoes, and his bare torso. He's lean, but Jaehyun knew not to base anything off of looks. Hakyeon had the experience to kill him point blank. Jaehyun saw two concubines (of course he gets the lower ranked ones) come and remove his robes and cloths. He was left with the same get-up as Hakyeon, except he had a glistening chain around his neck. The roar of the audience pounded in his ears, and it was a big distraction. He needed his mind clear if he wanted to do anything correctly. A man in a black and white robe came inbetween them. Hakyeon unsheathed his sword and Jaehyun did the same.

"I am Counselor Ken of Phobos, and I am to read out the decree. In this battle, it is fight to the death. If no one dies, you are both shunned from Phobos never to return. If our Emperor Hakyeon is killed, Jung Jaehyun from Caia is to become the new emperor. If Jaehyun is killed, Emperor Hakyeon keeps his title." Jaehyun nodded while Hakyeon gave a wicked smile. Jaehyun felt his heart drop to his ass. Conunselor Ken stepped back quickly. The fight had begun.

Hakyeon began to walk in a circle and Jaehyun followed. He scowled. What was the point of swords? He decided to buy himself some time.

"Emperor Hakyeon!" He yelled. Hakyeon stopped. "Put down your sword and I'll put down mine. Fight me like a man with your  _fists!"_ He said. Jaehyun hoped the theatrics would postpone things. Hakyeon laughed.

"You mere peasant! You want to fight with hands? Alright." Hakyeon thew his sword on the ground. Jaehyun did the same. "I will pummel you alive." Hakyeon rushed towards Jaehyun and Jaehyun slid out of the way just in time. Hakyeon caught himself and did a backflip. Jaehyun quickly got up, stumbling, but Hakyeon had charged at him again and slammed into his side. Jaehyun went down and hit his right side, and he cried out in pain. Hakyeon kept landing direct hits to his left side, and his body was screaming at him to do something. He pulled his hand out from under Hakyeon's weight, and slammed his fist on the side of Hakyeon's head. Hakyeon staggered, and Jaehyun all but pushed the man off of him. He knew the side of his body would be littered with bruises, but he wasn't down yet.

"He was never perfect with agility." Taeyong mutters, watching. Yuta nods.

"Yeah, he was total ass with it."

 

Xiao was walking down the hallway. It had been close to a year since she stepped out of the comforts of her space. She had her room, and a portion of the garden. She was in a rose pink cloth dress with a dark brown shawl on covering her hair. Her hair was pinned up into an intricate bun done by Luna.

"The emperor's mother is sitting by the balcony. She's watching the brawl from there." Luna passed her the tea. Ramos was watching by the door.

"Can't believe I'm a conspirator to the mother's death. I feel like I'm a concubine." Luna gave Ramos a dirty look. Xiao pulled out a tube with a blue liquid in it.

"One of my servants accidentally sent me the seeds to this plant. I was confused because I had never gotten seeds like these, so I looked them up. The seeds bloom into a flower called  _Delphinium._ If ingested, it causes nausea, muscle twitches, paralysis, and then death. Lucky for us, they had bloomed fully about two weeks ago." Xiao mixed the liquid into the tea.

"I'll deliver it to her. You both follow me quietly. Contact your friend Yuta. I hope Jaehyun is holding out alright. Hakyeon can be a rough fighter." 

 

Jaehyun was punched in the jaw, hard. Hakyeon landed a good one, and Jaehyun stumbled back. Hakyeon charged at him again, and lifted Jaehyun up. Jaehyun began punching Hakyeon's back rapid fire, and Hakyeon grunted in pain. Jaehyun couldn't stop himself from hitting the ground on his back, though, and he got the wind knocked out of him. Hakyeon loomed over his frame, and Jaehyun desparately tried to rack up a technique from his mind.

 

_"What you need to do, is if someone has you pinned down on the ground, put your hands on the ground, swing the weight from your lower half, and lift your leg up, which would in turn hit their crotch whether it be a boy or a girl. It's going to hurt." Junmyeon instructed Jaehyun. He put the move to use._

_"Wow, thanks." Jaehyun said smiling. Junmyeon looked at him._

_"I wasn't done. Once you finish and they stagger, you find their throat, and you jam your finger as hard as you can into it. That will cut off their breathing long enough for you to land a blow to the stomach preferably, and make your exit." Jaehyun nodded._

_"Thanks for helping me. I had a hard time in that stimulation." Junmyeon sighed._

_"I can't have someone who's going to be on my team in a few years be utterly incompetent." Jaehyun took that as "your welcome"._

 

Before Hakyeon could strike, Jaehyun put his hands on the ground, swung his weight to his left foot, and aimed his foot directly at Hakyeon's crotch. He kicked hard, and Hakyeon cried out in obvious pain, stumbling backwards. Jaehyun pushed himself off the ground and landed on his feet shakily. Hakyeon had dried blood coming from his skin where Jaehyun had clawed at it, and Jaehyun had blood coming from his nose and mouth. Hakeyon also had a black eye. They were both beat up. Jaehyun quickly made his way towards Hakyeon and jammed his finger into the juncture between Hakyeon's larynx and trachea. Hakyeon choked on air and Jaehyun didn't let up.

He let all his rage out at this one moment. He was seriously pissed that his memory chose to show him a defense technique from  _Junmyeon_ of all people. This also showed him that Junmyeon had a dislike for him before the war even started. What had he done to the man? Or was it just because he was closer to Taeyong? He couldn't place it at the moment. Jaehyun curled his fist and shot it straight at Hakyeon's abdomen. He doubled over, and fell onto the ground. Jaehyun was breathing heavily, his chest hurt like hell. Hakyeon was retching on the ground, and Jaehyun stood and looked at him. He was waiting to see if Hakyeon would get up.

 

"Why are you outside of your room?" The mother spoke. Xiao sat next to her.

"I wanted to see my husband fight. I came to bring you tea. I know you utterly despise me, but I don't hate you." Xiao lied through her teeth. Luna and Ramos were behind the doors, waiting for Xiao's signal. The mother took the tea.

"Knowing you, you didn't make it right." She said, bored. Xiao sat next to her.

"You want him to die, don't you?" The mother asked. Xiao shook her head.

"I love him. The commoner can die. Hakyeon follows your every beck and call, but I know that he still loves me. He makes efforts to try and keep up with me." The mother scoffed.

"Hakyeon should have married someone else better, someone who really cared for the traditional order of things here. Instead he married you, the woman who locks herself up and refuses to do anything with the royal family. You're pathetic." The mother says, and she grabs the teacup taking a big sip. She shudders.

"As I thought, disgusting." The mother says. Xiao knew the poision would work in a matter of seconds. The mother paused and looked at Xiao.

"What did you put in my drink?" She asked, her arms twitching uncontrollably. Xiao bent down to her level as the mother yelled and collapsed out of her seat. Her legs were twitching as well.

"I did what was best for myself. And for this planet. Admit it before you die; you never once thought to care about Hakyeon! You knew he didn't want to be emepror yet you forced him into the title because you wanted the fame and wealth all to yourself. You've been using your son as a puppet out of sheer greed since he was a little boy! The only thing you did right was let him marry  _me,_ someone he  _really loved._ No matter, you're going to die in a few minutes anyway. Hakyeon will be notified soon. We'll make it known. And you won't be able to tell anyone who did it. Rot in hell, bitch. I'm going to make sure your son gets to do what he feels now." Xiao spits into the elderly woman's ear. She looks at Xiao pitifully, and Xiao stands. She takes the teacup and walks away.

"I'm going to my room now. Luna, give it a few moments, but you walk into the room saying you were the person who stayed behind to watch over the palace, and you found her dead just like that. Ramos, come with me." Ramos nodded and followed Xiao down the hall. Luna counted for a few seconds in her head, and then she dashed downstairs. She tapped an eunuch on the shoulder.

"What is it, concubine Luna?" the eunuch asked. Luna smiled.

"Ravi. Come upstairs with me. I want to check on the emperor's mother." Ravi nods.

"Whatever." They both walk up the stairs together, and when Luna walks in first, she screams just like she practiced. Ravi comes rushing over and he looks at the mother. She's laying still on the floor, blood coming out of her mouth and nose.

"Oh god!" Luna shouts. She's mentally hi-fiving herself for her acting skills. Ravi looks pale.

"I have to contact Ken."

 

The townspeople were still screaming for Hakyeon to win, and half of the paint had rubbed off of Jaeyhun's face in the midst of it all. Yuta's phone suddenly bleeped and he answered it. 

"Hello?" He asked.

"Hey! I'm swooping in to pick up the kids at the palace. You might wanna get ready to get Jaehyun outta there." Johnny said before he disconnected. Yuta looked to Taeyong who had a face of utter distress. 

"Hey, snap out of it! We need to get closer to Jaehyun so we can get out of here soon. Johnny's picking everyone else up." Taeyong turned to Yuta and nodded. They weaved their way through the crowd of people (it was _a lot_ of people) until they got to the exit. Yuta slowed down cursing. 

"Fuck. An eunuch is blocking the door. I didn't account for that." Taeyong sighed. 

"Let me handle this." Taeyong sauntered up to the eunuch. 

"What's your name?" Taeyong asked, a dangerous glint in his eyes. The eunuch turned to him.

"There will be no fraternizing with consorts and eunuchs." The eunuch recited. Taeyong laughed.

"How funny. You think I'm actually one of those. I look that good?" The eunuch's cheeks heated up. 

"So you're not a concubine or a consort?" Taeyong shakes his head no.

"No, I'm not. Now be a good boy and let me and my friend outside. It's getting hot with all those people pressed against me. I need some fresh air." The eunuch nodded, looking at Taeyong who was dramatically fanning himself.

"Uh, yeah, sure." He stepped out of the way. Taeyong gave him a killer smile and blew him an air kiss with Yuta in tow.

"Thank you, love!" Taeyong shouted. Once they were far away enough. Taeyong sighed. Yuta whistled low.

"Didn't know you had it in you." Yuta said. They both ran as fast as they could to Yuta's ship.

 

Jaehyun and Hakyeon were circling each other again. They were both tired and bloody. Hakyeon made a move to grab Jaehyun's hand, but he had jumped out of the way. Hakyeon yelled.

"That's it! I'm ending this." Hakyeon runs to grab his sword, and all but plowed his way towards Jaehyun. Jaehyun's eyes widened in realization. Hakyeon's sword nicked him on his torso, and he could feel the blood running down his body.

"Ah!" He screamed in pain. It was red-hot, and he could feel his knees buckling. He touched the wound, and blood was all over his hand. 

"You're such a pussy!" Jaehyun shouted. "You call yourself and emperor and can't even finish the fight with your hands! What a coward!" He yells for all the people to hear. It becomes deadly silent. Hakeyon is staring at his sword, the tip covered in blood. His breathing is labored. 

"Emperor! Emperor!" Counselor Ken shouts with urgency. Hakyeon turns his head.

"What?" He growls. Ken sighs.

"Your mother is dead!" Counselor Ken screams back at him. Hakyeon stills. He drops his sword.

"She's...dead?" Hakyeon says, his voice breaking. "You're lying! You've interrupted my duel for a lie?" Counselor Ken shakes his head. 

"It's the truth! She's dead! Eunuch Ravi and Concubine Luna found her dead by the balcony!" Hakyeon dropped to his knees and cried out. The townspeople began to scream and yell; everyone was in a frenzy. Jaehyun looked at Hakyeon. He stood up and walked away, clutching his side. He walked out of the doors of the arena and soon he saw Yuta's ship circling in the sky. He waved his hand that wasn't clutching his side back and forth, and Yuta swooped down. He let Jaehyun board the ship, and Taeyong all but rushed to him.

"Oh, god!" Taeyong screamed. Blood was staining his clothes. "Yuta, get the first-aid kit. I've gotta patch him up." Jaehyun closed his eyes for a second, enjoying the feeling of being in Taeyong's lap.

"I love you so much." Jaehyun breathed out. Taeyong stopped rambling to himself.

"What did you say?" Jaehyun looked him in the eyes. 

"I love you." He said firmly. And he did. Because even though Taeyong had fed him a horrible pill for two years, it wasn't as if Taeyong wasn't subjected to his own torture as well. Taeyong made sure Junmyeon didn't kill him all those years ago, and for that he's eternally grateful. Taeyong looked at him sadly and smiled.

"Let's get you patched up, okay?" He answered back. Jaehyun grabbed his wrist.

"Say it back if you mean it." Jaehyun said, a finality to his words. Taeyong stilled. Jaehyun didn't realize the internal war Taeyong was having with himself. He wanted to say it, he desperately wanted to convey his feelings back. But they last time they did, Jaehyun was kidnapped, almost beaten to death, and he had the worst sentence of his life. Taeyong hesitated. Jaehyun let go of his wrist.

"Please fix me." Jaehyun said, his heart breaking. Taeyong nodded and Yuta passed him the first-aid kit. He had heard the conversation, and he looked at Taeyong with dissapointment. Taeyong swallowed the lump in his throat and began cleaning Jaehyun's wounds.

 

Xiao was in Johnny's ship. It was maroon colored, and had green lights all over it.

"Yeah, I got him fixed when I was on Eros. They fix the sweetest ships there, I swear." Xiao sighs.

"I've never been." Ramos sat next to Xiao.

"Are you going to be with Hakyeon?" Xiao turns to Ramos with a painful smile.

"I left him a note. I can't stay here any longer. I thought I could live with him after this, but I cannot. I ultimately killed his mother. He will be bound to hate me. My letter was very detailed. Luna will tell him the rest, and so will you. I do believe you aren't accompanying us the rest of the way, right?" Ramos shook his head.

"That's right. Phobos is my home, and while I was approached to be an eunuch many times, I never became one. My family is here, and I can't leave them." Xiao smiles. 

"Family. I know you have a good one." Johnny landed his ship by Yuta's house. Ramon's house was a walk away from his. Soon, they saw Yuta's ship park next to theirs. Everyone steps out except Jaehyun who fell asleep while Taeyong was fixing him up. Johnny hugged Yuta and Taeyong tightly.

"It's been way too long. Lucas and Jungwoo should be meeting us soon. I'll tell them what planet." Taeyong nodded. Ramos turned to Yuta.

"It's time we part ways. It was fun having you here." Yuta smiled.

"It was fun being here." Ramos handed Yuta a bag.

"A gift." He said, smiling. Yuta peeked in it. Bundles of  _ganja_ sat in there, and Yuta smiled.

"You know me so well." Ramos waved to everyone and started down the road.

"You better get in my ship before someone sees you, empress." Johnny said. Xiao smiled.

"Don't call me that anymore. Just call me Xiao." Johnny nods.

"Alright. I can do that." Xiao boards the ship once again. Yuta grips the bag in his hand and turns to Taeyong. He proceeds to smack him in the chest with it.

"Ow!" Taeyong cried. Yuta rolled his eyes.

"You're gonna regret being that big of a fucking idiot." Yuta said. Johnny looked at the two.

"What did he do now?" 

"Jaehyun told him he loved him, and Taeyong just stared back like a deer in headlights." Johnny shook his head.

"You need to make that right." Taeyong sighed at a loss.

"You guys! The last time I told him I loved him, I lost everything! We lost everything. I just got him back, and so did you guys. We cannot afford to lose him again. He should know how much I love him, too! Because, god I love him. Even though he says he's not the same Jaehyun, he is! He's still the selfless, brave guy I fell in love with all those years ago!" Someone patted Taeyong on the back.

"Why the fuck couldn't you just say that to my face?" Jaehyun said raspy. Taeyong turned around, his cheeks hot.

"Uh-" Johhny smiled.

"Hey man, I don't know if you remember me, but I'm Johnny. We're best friends." Jaehyun nods.

"I remember you. We've known each other since we were twelve." Johnny nods happily. 

"Yeah! It's me, dude! Taeyong tells me you guys are planning to overthrow Junmyeon so that you can make sure he doesn't try and kill all of us, or something. Whatever it is, I'm in." Jaehyun nods, laughing. His arm is slung around Taeyong's shoulder, and the ladder is still red in the face.

"Yeah. I wanna see everyone else from our division first." Johnny whistles.

"Everyone is spread across the universe. That's gonna be kinda hard, bro. Besides, everywhere you go there's bound to be someone who needs saving. Look at what you just did for Phobos!" Jaehyun nods.

"Yeah, I guess that's true. But, we're travelers now. We're banned from Gaea, and there's a whole universe waiting out there with our friends in it. We have to try and find them!" Yuta smiles, pushing his glasses up.

"Then let's go out there and find them."


	7. qī / 七 (seven)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Touch me please." He whispered. Jaehyun hummed.
> 
> "What did you say?" Taeyong looked him in the eyes. His skin was flushed from the hot water, and water was dripping on his face. He looked like a dream.
> 
> "I said touch me." Taeyong bit out firmly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> smut. shower sex. 
> 
> also xiao's backstory w/ hakyeon.

Xiao was in Johnny's ship while Taeyong and Jaehyun were on Yuta's ship. They had fled from Phobos after a few minutes, and they were propelling through space trying to figure out just where they needed to go.

"Okay, fuck this just flying around. I'm calling Johnny. We need to pull over to a fueling station somewhere and just take one of their houses to spend the night in." Yuta said, rubbing his eyes. He wasn't wrong. Everyone was tired from their little adventure from Phobos. Yuta put the ship on autopilot while he whipped out his phone. Taeyong and Jaehyun were sitting in a room in the back of the ship.

"You meant everything you said to Johnny and Yuta back on Phobos, didn't you?" Jaehyun said softly. Taeyong nodded.

"I didn't want to say anything out loud. Our love- it made us forget who we were and what we did. We can't let love get in the way now. It's more crucial than ever." Jaehyun scoffed.

"Is that the bullshit you've been feeding  _yourself_ for two years? It wasn't love that made us blind, it was circumstances. If anything, love made me realize how much I don't want to lose you, and that I would go across this whole universe to make sure you're okay." Taeyong laughed.

"I feel the same way." Taeyong whispered. Jaehyun looked him in the eyes.

"Then say you love me. Because I know you mean it." Taeyong let a tear slip from his eyes.

"I love you , Yoonoh. I do." Jaehyun gave a smile that Taeyong thought would split his cheeks. And considering how many times he got punched in the face, Taeyong wasn't that far off.

"Damn. It feels nice to hear you say it." He said finally laying down. Jaehyun closed his eyes and Taeyong became quiet. Jaehyun soon fell asleep and Taeyong sighed. He felt good saying it too.

He isn't going to lie to himself.

 

They soon pull into a fueling station on the asteroid Eugenia. There was a small government rulled by a man who called himself the Petit-Prince. Eugenia based all of its income on its top-notch fueling station and temporary homes. Yuta and Johnny pulled their ships in side by side and stepped out to fill their ships up. Jaehyun was still asleep, so Taeyong stepped out to stretch his legs. He saw Xiao step out as well, and she looked wracked with grief. Taeyong thinks that's appropriate. She just killed her husband's mother, and ditched him and the planet she's known all her life. Taeyong walks up to her.

"Are you okay?" He asks her. Xiao looks at him and her eyes are wet. She sighed.

"I don't know if I made the right decision. Killing someone is very rash. I could have handled it a different way, I'm thinking. Maybe if I spoke my fears to Hakyeon, he would have understood and we could have worked something out. I can't go back on my decision, now. I just pray that Hakyeon understands." Taeyong and Xiao have sat down on a bench. Taeyong rubs her back for comfort. She was such a small woman.

"If you ever talked to her, ever  _lived_ with her, then you would know she was pure evil. I had never met anyone like her in my life. She would beat Hakyeon when he was a child if he ever stepped out of line, and she could see me and Hakyeon liked each other when we were young. He'd always offer to take me to my home after class, and I wasn't wealthy in the slightest. I was a regular commoner. When Hakyeon's father passed away when he was seven, I didn't see Hakyeon much anymore. It was three years before I heard anything from him again. Him and his mother came to my house. Hakyeon had said he wanted to marry me. I liked Hakyeon and he liked me back. Plus, being in the palace would get us out of our home and into a better one. I felt like I could do that much for my parents who practically raised me with nothing."

"Soon, my whole family was ushered into the palace, and I began to undergo empress teachings. They were rigrous, and I realized that even though Hakyeon and I's relationship was growing by the day, I did not want to be empress. A plague spread through Phobos a year later, and it killed both of my parents. Two years later, I was married to Hakyeon. We were only fourteen. I had spent years watching his mother beat him for slipping up. She would spit on him, and beat him until he bled. He hardened himself though, and his younger brothers were sent away because she didn't care anything about them. When Hakyeon was fifteen, that was the last time he'd see his brothers. He had two. Like I said, she was pure evil. She tried to raise her hand to me one time when I failed to greet the president of Adrastea incorrectly. I was only sixteen! I was young, and I made mistakes, just like Hakyeon."

"She didn't take mistakes though. She threatened my life if I didn't make myself a better empress. When I turned eighteen, I had enough. I locked myself in my room and I didn't come out. For the first months, I did not step a foot out of that room. Then, Hakyeon asked me to come out. He told me his mother was gone away on a trip. She was. He took me to the gardens and we-" Xiao flushed. Taeyong nodded; he got what she was saying.

"We were scared. We didn't use any protection, adn we were sure his mother would have killed us had she found out we consummated the marriage without her planning it. I had...I had gotten pregnant. I was told it was going to be a beautiful baby girl. I was twenty by this time." Taeyong kept listening. 

"I was so excited and so was Hakyeon. He was perfectly fine with having a woman rule. We planned for it, and we were so happy. His mother was less rude, and I think she was happy at the prospect of having a grandchild as well. I mean, she wanted everything perfect. If her son was a powerful emperor, he had a beautiful empress and child by his side with her to oversee it all, that was her dream." Xiao squeezed her hands together.

"If you don't wanna go on, you don't have to." Taeyong said. Xiao looked at him.

"I need to get through this." Taeyong nodded and urged her to continue. "In my second trimester...I miscarraged. I think that was when I lost it. I broke down, I wouldn't eat, I could barely sleep, and Hakyeon didn't know what to do. He was lost as well. Phobos was going down in terms of planetary stocks, and his mother was absolutely livid. She didn't physically hit me, but she mentally beat me. She kept telling me how much of a failure I was, that I couldn't even carry her grandchild right. That I deprived her of a good life with her grandchild. Because it was never about me, it was about  _her._ I locked the door to my room again, and even when Hakyeon would knock and practically beg me to come out, I wouldn't open that door for shit. I stayed like that for a year. I think I went crazy in there. Of course, I took care of myself, I just didn't come out of that room. I read the same books again and again, and I dreamed every night of a different life."

"Soon, it got easier to step out. I didn't leave the palace, though. Hakyeon's mother would ocassionally snap at me, but she let up. Hakyeon was so happy, but when I looked at him, all I felt were diluted feelings of love. Did I love this man to put myself through all this misery? I prayed someone would come and change things. It went on like this for years, and Hakyeon got a reputation. They said he had a crazy wife. They kept pressuring him to annul our marriage. Hakyeon would refuse everytime. Did he love me enough to stand up to his mother? I assumed he was scared as well. She was ruthless. Everyday living in that palace I think I became farther from reality. Then, I hear Hakyeon challenging someone. I hear Hakyeon talking with someone outside of my room, and he tells them that he wants to lose. He wanted to die."

"I was going to plan to tell Hakyeon that he shouldn't throw the fight, and that he should just fucking stand up to his mother! But, Jaehyun came to me with a plan. I took it, because it seemed I could get what I wanted too. A chance at real freedom. I erradicated the one problem that stuck to both of our lives for a long, long time. But at what cost? I'm a murderer." Taeyong sighed.

"She was abusive physically and mentally. It would have been a matter of time before Hakyeon killed her himself. Don't put it all on you. Did you convey everything you wanted to say in your letter?" Xiao nodded her head yes.

"Then you should just get some sleep. Your parents would be proud of you for looking out for yourself." Xiao burst into tears.

"I can't thank any of you enough. You've really gave me a sense of peace for the first time in a long time."

 

Hakyeon dropped to the floor after reading the letter. He supposes this was coming. He should have seen all the signs long ago. He did see all the signs, he was just blinded by white-hot fear. He cries. He misses Xiao and she hasn't been gone long. He shakes his head. She was gone years ago, he just never noticed until now. 

His mother was a monster. While he has to act like he grieves her loss for the people, he's silently thanking Xiao in his head.

She always did know what he needed before he did. Hakyeon hauled himself off the ground shakily and smoothed out his robe. He would first start by addressing the removal of the Harem system. He smiled. 

Xiao would be proud of him. He would make her proud of him even if she wasn't with him anymore.

 

The rooms in the temporary homes were comfortable.

"Xiao gets a room to herself. She's already knocked out." Yuta says. 

"Johnny and I will share a room. You and Jaehyun get to share a room." Yuta wiggles his eyebrows up and down and Taeyong smacks him in the chest.

"Move. I'm tired." Taeyong said. Yuta pouted and slipped into his room. Jaehyun walked behind him and smiled.

"Finally. A big bed." He said, plopping down softly. Taeyong was worrying. They hadn't slept together in two years. Jaehyun sighed, scratching his face.

"You wanna take a shower?" Jaehyun asked. Taeyong nodded.

"C'mon. Let's go." Jaehyun said. Taeyong stopped.

"Pause. You mean, me and you. Together. In a shower." Jaehyun looked around.

"Yeah. That's why I asked." Taeyong slapped his hands over his eyes.

"Jaehyun, you get the implications of that, right?" Jaehyun nods. 

"Stop being a baby and take my hand. I won't touch you unless you ask. And you have to  _ask."_ Jaehyun said. They both walked into the bathroom and Jaehyun got to work stripping himself of his clothes. Taeyong did the same and he instantly felt self consious. He went to the sink and took care of washing the makeup from his face. Once he was done with that, he made the move to take off the necklaces and rings Ramos gave him. He was going to miss that guy. He went to take off his earings until Jaehyun tsked.

"Leave them on." He ordered. Taeyong looked at him and obeyed.

"Good boy." Jaehyun said. Taeyong's skin began to feel hot, and he almost whined out loud. Jaehyun turned on the water to the shower and he stepped inside.

"Come on." Jaehyun motioned for him to join him. Taeyong cautiously stepped in. They began to quietly wash themselves, and Jaehyun sighed.

"Could you please wash my hair?" Jaehyun asked. Taeyong was scrubbing his when he nodded.

"Okay. Bend down." Taeyong said. Jaehyun got on his knees, and Taeyong was instantly hit with a vision of Jaehyun bending down to suck him off. He breathed in deeply and began to lather the shampoo into the other boy's hair. Jaehyun gave noises of contentment and Taeyong kept at his task, only thinking about his task. Once he was finished, Jaehyun stood up.

"Thanks." He said, flicking one of Taeyong's earrings. Taeyong looked at him. Jaehyun had bruises up and down his body, he had a wicked cut on his side, and there were cuts littered around his face. He and Hakyeon fought like dogs. There was a purple bruise forming under his eye, and Taeyong went to touch it. He sighed and lowered his head.

"Touch me please." He whispered. Jaehyun hummed.

"What did you say?" Taeyong looked him in the eyes. His skin was flushed from the hot water, and water was dripping on his face. He looked like a dream.

"I said touch me." Taeyong bit out firmly. Jaehyun waisted no time bringing the other man into his arms. Their kiss wasn't soft in the slightest. It was a mess of tongue, and teeth and lips not going the right way but it didn't matter. Taeyong had waited for this, and even though Jaehyun couldn't remember he had waited for this again, too. Jaehyun soon brought his lips to Taeyong's neck and bit down hard.

"Ah, Jaehyun!" Taeyong moaned. Jaehyun smirked while leaving wet kisses up and down his neck. Taeyong wrapped his arms around Jaehyun's neck, nibbling at his ear. Jaehyun gave a deep groan of appreciation and Jaehyun moved lower, raking his arms up and down Taeyong's torso. He took one of Taeyong's nipples in his mouth, and the other man threw his head back in pleasure.

"You-" Taeyong started before Jaehyun used his teeth and Taeyong hissed. Jaehyun kissed lower and lower until he got to Taeyong's pelvis area. He left hickeys there too, and Taeyong's legs began to shake. Jaehyun hoisted the boy's legs over his shoulders and was met face-to-face with Taeyong's member. It was leaking pre-cum, and Taeyong's red hair was slicked back because of the water. He looked Taeyong in the eyes as he licked the tip. Taeyong felt tears well up. 

"Qu-quit p-playing.." Taeyong begged. Jaehyun skipped more foreplay and took Taeyong in his mouth whole. He began to furiously suck, the sounds echoing around the room. Taeyong bucked his hips up in pleasure. It was so long since Jaehyun did this that he knew he wasn't going to last long.

"Fuck, Jae, I'm gonna- I'm-" Jaehyun stayed where he was at, and Taeyong came in his mouth, crying out. He was crying too, but it was hard to tell with the shower water still running over his face. Jaehyun pulled off of him, and Taeyong slumped down the shower wall. Jaehyun stared Taeyong right in the eyes as he spit his come out of his mouth. Taeyong covered his face with his hands. Jaehyun grabbed Taeyong and pressed his body against his.

"I know you're still sensitive because of that, but I wanna try this." Jaehyun said. He grabbed both of their members in his hand and began to stroke slowly. Taeyong cried out, it was high pitched and loud. Water was not the best lubricant, but it worked, and Jaehyun remembered suddenly how big of a masochist Taeyong could be. He smirked.

"Look at me." Jaehyun ordered. Taeyong did and they were face to face. They didn't kiss, they just looked at each other, breathing in each other's face and Jaehyun began to stroke both of them off at a fast pace. Taeyong's member was sensitive still, and he shook with every stroke.

"God, you feel- you feel so good in my hand, Tae. So good." Jaehyun chanted. Taeyong furiously nodded, closing his eyes. He knows Jaehyun asked him to look at him, but he couldn't. Not with how good this was feeling. 

"Ah-ah, please, Jae, please come,  _please-"_ Taeyong whined in his ear. Jaehyun was so close.

"So close- oh fuck-  _Taeyong."_ Jaehyun said as he came. Taeyong came just by hearing Jaehyun say his name like that. He was all but screaming, and Jaehyun covered his mouth with his hand.

"You're gonna wake up Johnny, Yuta and Xiao. Want them to know how much of a whore you are for my cock, huh? You want that? Stay quiet." Jaehyun said, still stroking Taeyong through their orgasms. Taeyong really shouldn't have been intimidated by that seeing how shaky it came out of Jaehyun's mouth. But he was, and he bit down on Jaehyun's hand to keep from screaming again. Once they were finished. They both heaved out breaths deep from their lungs. They washed off again, and Jaehyun turned off the shower. They put on their clothes quietly, and they walked to their queen sized bed. 

"Yoonoh." Taeyong whispered sleepily. Jaehyun turned his head. This bed was so soft.

"Hmm?" The man said slowly. Taeyong giggled.

"That was something." Jaehyun chuckled.

"You're tellin' me. I loved every minute of that.' Taeyong nods in agreement.

"Hey." He says.

"What?"

"I love you." Jaehyun smiles.

"Love you too, redhead. Now get some sleep." Jaehyun didn't need to tell him twice.

 

"You were too late! They're gone now." Jungwoo says. Lucas curses.

"Fuck! I have no idea where they're at now." Jungwoo sighs.

"You do have Johnny's contact. You know they're with him. Call him again." Lucas sighs.

"I wish I could tell you the truth. I don't want you mad at me anymore, but you have to stay in the dark. You and everyone else. That's the only way this is gonna work." Jungwoo furrows his eyebrows.

"What truth?" Lucas sighs.

"That I'm not the bad guy." Jungwoo scoffs. 

"As far as I'm concerned, you are the bad guy. You dragged me with you after you betrayed all of us. I had no choice but to come with you, or else Junmyeon's soldiers would have shot me dead." Lucas sighs.

"There's more to it. You'll find out later. For now, you all need to think I'm the bad guy." Jungwoo was tired of Lucas' cryptic ass.

"Just call Johnny to find out where they are again. Stop bitching about it." Lucas nods at the love of his life.

He'd do it the next day.


	8. bā / 八 (eight)

**PART TWO: VERISIMILITUDE**

 

 

+

 

 

"You two," Yuta gestures between Taeyong and Jaehyun, "...are too fucking loud." He says, groaning the next morning. Taeyong looks down in apparent shame.

"Don't be mad that we're getting some and you aren't."  Jaehyun says, chuckling. Yuta pouts.

"That's because I haven't seen Sicheng yet!" Taeyong pats his friend on the shoulder.

"Do we wanna get him next? Or do we wanna see someone else? Does it really matter, I mean we're all gonna meet up at some point." Johnny said, sipping coffee he made. Xiao was by the coffee machine as well.

"I feel as if I am a hinderance. I am not a part of your team. If you are looking for people around the universe, perhaps you could do me one more favor." Jaehyun stands at attention.

"What's up?" Xiao sighs.

"Take me to Laomedia. That is the planet my parents were from before they moved closer to Phobos." Johnny whistles.

"That's really far out. You sure you wanna go there?" Xiao nods.

"That is where I want to be. I will assist you all in any way I can if you take me there." Taeyong smiles.

"Of course we'll take you there." Xiao looks at her cup in thought.

"Thank you." She says after a while. 

 

"I'm nervous to call him." Yuta bites out after a while. Taeyong looks at Yuta's phone.

"He'll never know the news if someone doesn't tell him. I think he'd rather have a call from you than from me, anyway." Taeyong says, sauntering out of the room. Yuta takes a deep breath and dials the number he knows by heart. Soon, a quiet voice answers the phone.

"Hello?" It says. Yuta sighs.

"Hey, Sicheng. It's me, Yuta." Sicheng laughs.

"Yuta! Oh my god, did something happen? Is that why you're calling me?" Yuta nods even though Sicheng can't see him. They all promised each other they wouldn't call each other to eliminate the possibilty of Junmyeon finding a weak link. They said they would only call if something got serious, but Yuta wishes everyone would have called him anyway. He wished he would have gathered the balls to call Sicheng years ago.

"Yeah, something big happened. Jaehyun remembers things, now. We left Gaea. We're on Eugenia right now, taking a break. We kind of just re-arranged Phobos' government or whatever." Sicheng gasps.

"You guys had an adventure without me?" Sicheng asks playfully.

"If you were there, you'd be a big part of it." Yuta comments seriously. Sicheng stays quiet for a moment.

"So, we're all trying to see each other again?" He asks. Yuta makes a noise of agreement.

"Yeah, so if you could just tell us where you are, we're gonna go there." Sicheng sucks in a breath.

"I'm on Ceres." Yuta's eyes widen. 

"Ceres. As in, the planet that bases it's income off of  _prostitutes and gangs?"_ Yuta can't believe his ears. Ceres was a big planet, and most planets shunned it's ways, saying that isn't the way a planet should base it's income. The king of Ceres didn't care about what anyone else thought. Ceres was a place where people who were shunned themselves took refuge. Even though most planets denied it, it was a home to many. 

"Don't say it like that." Sicheng says. Yuta can feel his blood boiling.

"What have you been doing these past two years?" Yuta grits out. Sicheng doesn't say anything.

 _"Sicheng."_ Yuta says, begging. Sicheng sighs.

"I've been a prostitute, yes, but-" Yuta rips the phone away from his ear and walks around the space of the living room. He can't believe this. Sicheng has been selling his body for two years all because of Junmyeon's crazy ass? He brings the phone back to his ear.

"Yuta? Yuta?" Sicheng is calling. Yuta breathes out deeply.

"We're coming to get you off of that bloody planet." Yuta says before he hangs up. He doesn't think he could stand to hear another word of that. He wonders just how much Sicheng has changed. Does he love him anymore? Has he been involved with thugs? Illegal crimes? Yuta sighed, sitting on the couch and putting his head in his hands.

He reasons that he doesn't know who Sicheng is anymore.

 

 _"He's been a prostitute?"_ Taeyong asks with disbelief. They've left Eugenia, and both Johnny and Yuta set their coordinates to Ceres. It wasn't that far away from where they were now, maybe just a few days.

"Yeah, I know. I was suprised, too." Taeyong bites his lip.

"I didn't think he'd go to Ceres. I mean, it is a home for the lost, but it's not a good one." Yuta groaned.

"I just can't believe he would go and do something like that. A prostitute? How many people has he fucked for money just so he can survive? Did they even treat him right? Did he get beaten?" Yuta sighed, his chest hurting. "I don't know if I want to know the answers to that." Jaehyun piped in.

"Hey, maybe it's not as bad as you think. I can't remember him well, but i'm getting a feeling that he's strong." Yuta looks ahead, focusing on steering the ship in the right direction.

"I hope your maybe is right, or I just might go crazy."

 

"We're going to Ceres. I'm gonna tell the others that you're coming along with us!" Johnny says to Lucas over his intercom on his ship. Lucas makes a sound of happiness. 

"I can't wait. Seeing all of you again is gonna be great." Xiao furrows her eyebrows. Johnny laughs.

"When Jaehyun remembers you, he's gonna go wild. He's gonna go wild when he fully remembers  _everything_." Lucas paused. 

"He doesn't remember everything?" Johnny clicks his tongue on the roof of his mouth.

"Nope. He only remembers bits and pieces. It's selective." Lucas is quiet for a few moments.

"Well that's good to know. It would have been weird if I started talking about things he had no idea about." Jungwoo laughed in the background.

"Hello Johnny." He says softly. Johnny laughs.

"You're with Lucas, too? You lovebirds didn't split up after  _the split_ , huh?" Jungwoo laughs again and Xiao shakes her head. 

"We couldn't. I guess we were luckier than the rest." Johnny nods.

"Guess so. I can't wait to see you guys and everyone else." 

"I can't wait either." Jungwoo says, and his words have such a hardness to them that Xiao looks taken aback. Johnny hangs up and she frowns.

"Don't trust them." She says quickly. Johnny looks at her in corner of his eye.

"The way they were talking...they sound like they're at odds with each other. I just don't have good feelings about them. I am dedicated to making sure you all are safe on your journey because you helped me, so whether you like it or not, I'm going to be watching them." Johnny shrugs his shoulders.

"They're my friends. I don't think they're doing anything, but whatever floats your boat." Johnny said. Xiao nods her head at him.

"I'm going to prove to you there's something up with those two. Just wait on it." Xiao was sure about this; she believed in her intuition.

 

"And they were staying in that room over there." The leader of Eugenia spoke. His alias was the "Petit-Prince", and Junmyeon had addressed him so.

"Thank you for your cooperation. Gaea is exrememly embarassed that we have refugees running rampid around the galaxy. We promise to get them in check. Will you lend us men? We only have so many Renegades that can contribute to this cause." The Petit-Prince tapped his chin in thought. His royal garb was so over-the-top, Junmyeon had to squint a little bit. Minseok stood with his black gear on. He sighed. Junmyeon was such a faker. 

"Yes. I think I can assemble some men for this cause. Refugees need to be stopped. If they are as dangerous as you say they are, they cannot go to another country and cause trouble." The Petit-Prince turned his head to a lackey and barked orders. While the prince had his back turned, Junmyeon gave a malicious smile.

"We're catching up to you,  _Yoonoh._ Enjoy your little adventure. It's about to be  _over."_ Junmyeon snapped out of his revoir and looked up as the Petit-Prince clapped his hands in joy.

"Here's one of the units I could muster! They will do well on your side." Junmyeon turned his eyes to the men in front of them. One in particular stepped up to the front. 

"You have to pay us for this. We don't even directly belong to the prince. We just did him this one favor. Haven't taken a trip around the galaxy in a while." Junmyeon furrows his eyebrows. He gives a fleeting look to the prince who helplessly shrugs his shoulders. He turns back to the man with gelled blonde hair parted down the middle, the style hanging floppily down the sides of his face. Junmyeon holds his hand out. The other man shakes it.

"Kim Junmyeon." The man gives a wicked smirk.

"Kim Hanbin. I've heard of you. So shall we get started?" Junmyeon sent him one back.

"We shall."


	9. jiǔ / 	九 (nine)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Um, would you happen to know where the adult pamphlets are? We need to contact the agency." The man scoffed.
> 
> "You pulled me out of my job for that?" He asked, his voice rising in volume. Xiao looked around nervously.

Yuta flies his ship into Ceres' atmosphere, Johnny not too far behind him. Yuta and Johnny had been in communication with one another the whole ride there, and Jaehyun was worried about Yuta. The usually happy-go-lucky carefree guy Jaehyun sees him as has diminished, and a cold Yuta was put in its place. Taeyong turned to Jaehyun.

"Just give him some space. Yuta had no idea Sicheng had gone and done this. I would be this way if it was you." Jaehyun nods. He gets it, really. It's just Yuta's putting him and everyone else on edge, and he doesn't feel that it's a good environment for anyone to be in. If Jaehyun was to tell Yuta this, it'd go through one ear and out the other.

"How are we going to find him?" Taeyong asked. Yuta tsked.

"I'll find him. Doesn't matter how." Taeyong sighed.

"Yuta, you can't go on this planet guns ablazing; you need to have some type of plan. May I remind you too many gangs live here and none of us want to be involved in a brawl like that." Jaehyun touched his face. His black eye was still prominent, but Taeyong nursing him had helped it swell down some to where it was a faded purple.

"Why don't you just call the agency?" Jaehyun asks. "Make it seem like you're making a call for Sicheng, and then boom! We got em'." Taeyong nods.

"Not a bad idea. That's the plan, then." Yuta growls.

"Who said any of you could make a plan about the man  _I_ want to see?" Taeyong frowned.

"He was on a team with all of us too, you're not the only one that misses him." Jaehyun stayed quiet as Yuta flew into a fueling dock. Johnny parked right next to him, and Xiao stepped off of his ship. Taeyong sighed, unbuckling himself from his seat.

"I'm gonna get some fresh air. Yuta, don't do anything fucking stupid." Yuta sat at the controls silent. Jaehyun cleared his throat.

"He's going to be fine. I didn't think I'd ever get my memory back, hell, I couldn't really think for myself at all. It'd be naive of us to say no one came out of that whole debacle without battle wounds. But Sicheng is a strong man, and I'm sure he'll be happy as hell to see you." Yuta sighed.

"You're right. Sicheng has always been a little sassy, but he's also had his head on his shoulders. I should know. I remember the first time we met each other."

 

_"This is your new division. Division 127 of the Gaean Army. You will all become Renegades one day. You will all make me proud." Junmyeon's father said, his words bellowing into the hearts of all the boys lined up. Yuta knew none of these people, but he was ready to take on this role. He had things to prove to people. That he was made of something. Yuta looked to his side and saw a boy with pink hair next to him. The boy turned his way and smiled._

_"Hey! I guess we're on a team now." He said, hesitant. Yuta could see right through him. The boy was trying to be tough, trying to seem like he had it all together, but he didn't. He was scared._

_"Do you even want to be a Renegade?" Yuta asked. He cringed afterwards. It sounded too rude; too accusatory. The boy blanched a little and cleared his throat._

_"Yeah I do. I wouldn't be here if I didn't." He spoke with a little more authority that time, his voice wavering only a little at the end._

_"Name's Yuta. Yuta Nakamoto." Yuta said, sticking his hand out. The boy was a little shorter than him. He gave him a small (almost unnoticeable) smile back._

_"Sicheng. Dong Sicheng." He said, clasping his hand in Yuta's. Yuta almost jerked his hand back. The feeling that gave him was unlike anything he had ever felt before. He looked back into Sicheng's eyes. He felt it, too._

_Yuta couldn't stop thinking about him afterwards._

 

"I thought he was just going to be such a meek boy. But he proved me wrong. Especially on Gaspra. Fuck." Yuta held his head down, and Jaehyun could hear him sniffling.

"Every day after that battle I just wonder why the hell Sicheng put himself in that position. Why did  _Johnny?"_ Johnny could have died! Sicheng could have-" Yuta stopped himself. Jaehyun knew this was a bad time to ask, but he had to know more.

"Exactly who were we fighting?" Jaehyun knew they were called Titans, but he didn't know anything else beyond that. Taeyong had only told him the bare minimum. He wasn't upset by that, he just needed to know something that would jog his memory even more.

"We were fighting Titans. They're in a whole different universe. Gigantic beings, all black, they look like demons. They  _are_ demons. They look like things that come out of nightmares. They declared war for some political reason that I was never really versed in. I think they claimed Gaea was in their way. We send drones and such to scope out other places in the universe; it's for scientifical reasons. The Titans live on a planet called Planet X. We don't know what it's offically called because barely anyone has or  _wants_ to communicate with a Titan for any reason. Their voices are something you just can't forget. They're terrifying beings in general."

"They're almost impossible to beat. I have a theory, but Taeyong would shut me down everytime I talked about it before we all split. My theory is that the Titans had to have some type of alliance with someone on Gaea. There's no way we would have been able to win the war, and while I don't doubt they would actually declare it over drones, some things about the war just don't add up." Jaehyun nods. Based on what little information he does have, Yuta isn't wrong. Some things just don't make sense.

"Thanks for telling me. And we're gonna find Sicheng."

 

They're all cloaked in black. Black hoodies, black shirts, pants, and shoes. They keep their heads down and try to be inconspicuous.

"Now, we're gonna go to a stall, ask for an adult pamphlet, and I'm gonna call the agency Sicheng works at. Once we do that, we're gonna roll up and meet Sicheng and get him to come with us." Yuta says, leading the way. Ceres was positioned in the solar system as to where it didn't get that much sunlight. Ceres was a dark planet in general, and the people who inhabited it came up with innovative ways to make it shine. Lights hung up everywhere, and if you stopped for a second, it looked cool against the dark, cold sky. Yuta kept walking until he came to a food stall. People were cooking and the food smelled heavenly. Yuta stopped in front of the stall and a little girl came up to the front.

"What'll you have?" She asked cutely. Xiao came up to her and smiled. Taeyong felt bad for her. She was looking at the girl with such a longing face.

"We're wondering if there's an adult here. We need to tak about something urgent." Xiao told the little girl. The little girl smiled.

"Yeah! My daddy's in the back! Miss, you're real pretty, y'know that?" The girl said. She was missing a tooth. Xiao beamed at her.

"Well, thank you so much. You're beautiful, too. Never forget that, no matter what happens or what anyone else says." The little girl nodded, and ran to the back of the stall. Soon, a bulky man came out. He had scruff and his hair was put into a stylish mullet. He had cuts and scrapes all over his body, and his clothes were sweaty and worn. He looked at Xiao.

"You said you needed an adult to talk to? Make it snappy, we've got customers to talk to." Xiao blushed. She presumed the task fell on her to ask for a pamphlet.

"Um, would you happen to know where the adult pamphlets are? We need to contact the agency." The man scoffed.

"You pulled me out of my  _job for that?"_ He asked, his voice rising in volume. Xiao looked around nervously.

"Someone is working there who shouldn't be. We have to get him out of there." The man's eyes softened just a little bit.

"Alright. If that's the case, here you go." He walked in the back and gave them a gold pamphlet.

"These people aren't all that nice though. They can get handsy and tough when they want to. Most people owe debts to them, hence why they're even in business. There's a leader, but he's really just a figurehead. Be careful." Xiao took the pamphlet and their hands touched. Xiao gasped a little.

"Could I have your name?" She asked. The man stared at her. He smelled like stall food and cigarettes. The big silver chain around his neck shined in the lights.

"Call me Zhi." He said. Xiao smiled.

"You have a beautiful daughter." Zhi smiled.

"Yeah. Mina's a doll." Yuta cleared his throat.

"Xiao, we have to go." Xiao nodded.

"Goodbye." She said. Zhi gave her another once-over.

"Goodbye, and good luck."

 

As Yuta called the agency and set up an "appointment", Taeyong pulled Xiao aside.

"I saw that." Taeyong said, smiling. Xiao looked at him confused. 

"Saw what?" She asked confused.

"That spark between you and Zhi. I think he's from somewhere you're from, too. That would explain the name." Xiao scoffed.

"There's nothing going on there. We only met one time, and we're probably not going to see each other anymore." Taeyong hummed.

"Keep telling yourself that. I got a feeling we'll see him again." Xiao looked down at the ground shyly as Yuta wrapped up the call.

"Yeah. 10:30. I'll be there on the dot, if not earlier. Goodbye." Jaehyun looked at Yuta.

"So what's the move now?" Johnny nodded.

"What do you need us to do, man?" Yuta looked back at them.

"When we get there, I'm gonna go in through the front because I made a reservation. Johnny, you were always good at scoping a place out and acting quickly, so I'm gonna need you to do that while I check in. Once you get a plan, go ahead and execute it, alright? Johnny nodded.

"Can do. We'll be right behind you while you get Sicheng, man." Yuta smiled.

"Once we get Sicheng, we have to call everyone else and figure out how to stop Junmyeon from finding all of us. He's still out there looking; waiting to catch us so he can make all of our lives a living hell again just for his own stupid benifit." Jaehyun growled.

"He can try. He's not gonna put me in a position like that ever again. I'm consious now, and even though I still can't remember everything about him, I will force myself to. I'm going to remember what happened all that time ago. It's important. But for now, all we can do is try and get Sicheng. He needs us as much as we need him." 

 

Hanbin and his crew walked down the streets of Ceres, mean mugging anyone that looked at them funny. Junmyeon was able to get them to Ceres in record time, and Hanbin was sour. He and all his crew didn't live anywhere as good as Gaea, and he found it funny that they'd be working secretly under the Gaean Government. Of course it's secret. Had this been announced to the public, Junmyeon's perfect, clean image would be tarnished.

How funny. His people thought he was clean in the first place.

Jiwon taps Hanbin on the shoulder.

"We should start asking people have they seen them. Start with that food stall over there?" Donghyuk sighed.

"Are you just saying look over there because you want some food?" Jiwon scoffed.

"No!...maybe?" Yunhyeong flicked him on the ear.

"I mean, maybe we should go over there. It's not that bad of an idea. Even if the person says no, at least we started." Jinhwan said. Jiwon turned to Yunhyeong pouting.

"Yeah! See, we  _should_ go over there!" Jiwon cried, rubbing his ear. Junhoe stepped up.

"I think we should watch our back." Hanbin turned to him.

"With who? Why?" Junhoe turned back to him.

"With Junmyeon. He has someone who these people think is with them  _against_ them; I mean, that's how we even knew to  _go_ to Ceres. You took on this job pretty hastily. I know we haven't had a lot of business, but this guy gives me sinister vibes. I know we need the money, but fuck this. We look out for our own first. I'm gonna watch all of this closely. He's darker than his planet thinks, but even  _we_ don't have an idea to what extent." Hanbin looks down. He isn't going to lie, he was hasty with taking this job. It's just a job they had on Metis didn't go as well as they hoped, and they were seriously lacking in calls. When the Petit-Prince called them up with someone as high-ranked as Junmyeon, nothing mattered but taking the job.

"I understand where you're coming from. I already thought of that. If he really wants to try something, I'll just steal his money and we can bounce anways." Chanwoo laughs at that.

They make their way to the food stall and a scruffy man looks at them. He squints his eyes.

"What can I get for you fellas?" He asks. Jiwon steps up.

"Um can I have one glypto armadillo skewer?" Jiwon says, looking dreamily at the meat.

"Make that two!" Chanwoo says from the back. Hanbin steps up and rolls his eyes.

"Yeah, get them that, but we got somethin' to ask you." Zhi didn't particularly like the vibe he was getting from these guys. Well aside from the two drooling over the food.

"What do you boys need?" Zhi thinks if things get serious enough, he could fight all of them and get back to work without Mina noticing. He wasn't too proud of his past before Mina. She was his whole world. 

"We need to know if you've seen anyone that look like these guys." Junhoe says, holding up two pictures. Zhi looks at the pictures, and he  _does_ know those men. They were behind the beautiful woman talking to him. They needed to save someone. Zhi doesn't betray any emotion.

"I don't think I have. If anyone wanted to elude the law - or whatever you guys happen to be affiliated with - they wouldn't come this way. You'd have to go on the more eastern side of this main area. That's where there's a shit ton of people, and that's where you can blend in." Zhi said. Yunhyeong hummed.

"Yeah, thanks. How do you know this exactly?" Zhi pierced Yunhyeong with a unwavering gaze, and Zhi could see the boy coward back just a little- it was almost unnoticeable.

"This isn't a paradise, kid. I've done things I'm not proud of, as have you I'm sure." Zhi said, giving the whole group a once-over. "But I got my own to take care of." As if on cue, Mina ran out and looked at Zhi, her lip set in a pout.

"Daddy! That woman is calling you! I answered it and she said she wanted to talk to you, but I told her you were working! I don't want you to talk to her! She's mean." Mina said, whining. Zhi scoffed.

"You want some cheese with that whine?" He asked, tickling Mina. Zhi laughed and picked up the little girl.

"I'm sure you boys know about this planet. It's not a safe place. I have to do what I can to protect the one girl that means the most to me." Mina smiled at all of them. One of the workers came from the side.

"Two glypto armadillo skewers! Get em' while it's hot!" Jiwon and Chanwoo practically ran all the other customers over to get their food. Hanbin nodded at the man.

"Alright. Thanks for cooperating with us. We'll take the information." Zhi nodded. Hanbin held out his hand for him to shake. They shook hands, and Hanbin walked off, the rest of them in tow.

"I inserted a chip on his hand. It'll fall off within 48 hours, but it's clear and has no feeling. I can track his movements with that. He's an idiot to think a sap story like that would stop us." Junhoe laughs. 

"A big one. Even if it  _is_ true." 


	10. shí / 	十 (ten)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "This is where we split up." Yuta says. Taeyong can see he's shaking a little bit. Yuta pulls Taeyong aside.
> 
> "Is this sort of how you felt when Jaehyun came back as himself? Y'know all jittery and nervous and like you're going to explode?"

A rickety train station awated them as they weaved through the crowd. Yuta had gotten the directions for the place on the phone, and he was more than ready to get a move on. They hopped on a train, and Jaehyun was more than worried the train itself would just stop working or topple over. Once they got to their desired street, the train stopped at a small station that looked way more cleaned up, and they all stepped off.

"The place isn't too far away from here. Yuta said. He pointed to a big house that had lights everywhere.

"It's over there, isn't it?" Xiao asked. Yuta nodded.

"That's the place. The place where Sicheng's been all these years." The night air was chilly, and Johnny kind of wished Yuta had waited until the next day. They all began walking down a winding road, and Yuta ruffled up his hair and rubbed at his face.

"Does that really matter? I mean we all changed and freshed up at a public bathhouse." Taeyong said. Jaehyun found that weird. Ceres had people who were the weirdest of the weird, and couple that with a  _public bathhouse?_ He quickly did his business and left. Taeyong was next to him, though, teasing him. It embarassed Jaehyun even more, and it made Johnny scoff.

"This makes me wonder where Ten could be. What he could be doing." Johnny said softly. Xiao looked at him.

"Ten is your love?" She asked. With all the lights down the winding road, everyone's face was illuminated with shadows. Johnny held his head down.

"Something like that." Jaehyun wished he would elaborate, but by Johnny's vibe, it seemed as though he did not want that pushed. They kept walking until they saw other people coming as well. Some were just women, some were just men, and some were couples. The house wasn't just a big house, it was a mansion. Cream white with windows and stories as high as the sky. The garden in front of it was taken care of to the tee, and there were men and women alike greeting the guests in the house. The lighting was better thanks to the house, and Johnny scoped out the place quickly.

"I have a plan. It's improvised, so anything I say after you talk, go with it, okay?" Johnny whispered to Yuta as they all walked up the marble stairs to the house. Yuta looked down at himself. He felt like a fool in all of this black attire. He did not want to be seen. Being seen led to never seeing the love of his life again.

"I got you." Yuta said as they met a tan-skinned man with his hair slicked back.

"I called for a time. 10:30. Y.N." The man looked at a book with a leather cover. Everything was prim and proper. Yuta realized there were people behind him. How many people here use an adult service? There has to be something else going on.

"Oh yes Mr. Y.N. You did. Did you bring friends with you?" Johnny stepped up and smiled at the man.

"We were wondering is there a live showing of your best people, or is something else going on tonight? We heard something like that was happening, but you know how poeple can be with rumors. Absolutely terrible!" Johnny began to laugh, and the tan-skinned man followed suit. Johnny was listening to the couple's conversation behind him. He learned that they weren't even from Ceres. They were from Ananke, and they heard this was the best adult service business in the galaxy. They came quickly because there was rumored to be a live showing tonight. Johnny thanked a higher power the people behind him were such blabbermouths.

"Oh, yes! There is a live showing! 

"Then come one, come all, right?" Johnny said. The man moved out the way and let them through.

"Enjoy!" The tan-skinned man says. Yuta and the gang walk in and everything is so pristine. There are people who are dressed from casual fancy to outragous fancy. 

"I don't get this. Why is everyone dripping money here and this is supposed to be a refuge planet?" Jaehyun said, looking at a woman in a sparkly pink gown. Johnny shrugged.

"This business isn't exactly liked. It's more frowned upon than anything, and in some planets coming to something like this would literally have you shunned. They get money out of the asses of rich people daily who say they're taking a vacation and they secretly come to Ceres for this, I assume." Taeyong looked at Johnny and furrowed his eyebrows.

"What a fast assessment?" Johnny smirked.

"I can come up with something quick." The entrance fanned out into a two-way intersection. One way was for the main room where viewings took place, the other way was for clients and people who left reservations. Yuta looked at them.

"This is where we split up." Yuta says. Taeyong can see he's shaking a little bit. Yuta pulls Taeyong aside.

"Is this sort of how you felt when Jaehyun came back as himself? Y'know all jittery and nervous and like you're going to explode?" Taeyong nodded while rubbing Yuta's back.

"I thought it was a dream; that he would go right back to being on that bed, forgetting my name. You'll be fine. Don't be nervous. Sicheng...he still loves you." Yuta nodded. 

"Okay. I'm off." He says, smiling at everyone else and taking a turn down the hallway. They all watch him go.

"D'you think he's gonna get some?" Jaehyun asks.

"Probably." Johnny says bored. Taeyong gasps.

"Seriously, guys? C'mon! We should look around." They begin to walk the other way, and they're ushered in a room that has gold seating cirling a runway.

"This must be the viewing room." Xiao said as they all took a seat. "We have to be on alert. Zhi said these people can get mean fast." Taeyong smirked.

"Still thinkin' about Zhi?" Xiao didn't say anything for a second, and Taeyong thought she didn't hear him.

"His daughter...she's...she's everything I wanted but never got with Hakyeon. I wanted that so bad, and it was ripped away from me. I can't help  _but_ think about it, and be envious." Taeyong nodded. He felt a little bad bringing it up.

"You can find that with someone else." Xiao breathes in, tears threatening to spill.

"I wonder how Hakyeon is doing. How Luna and Ramos are. It's been a few days, and I know for sure Hakyeon was never one to stay on a full schedule!...I hope he finds his brothers. That'd be an even bigger task; his mother spread them out more than your friends. Hakyeon doesn't even know their numbers, or anything for that matter. I'm sorry-" Xiao is abruptly cut off from talking by the lights dimming and a mic being tapped. A very skinny person comes out in a long, flowy one piece. It drags across the floor, and they're in long silver heels. Their hair is purple and wavy, and it's parted down the middle. The makeup is done dramatically, and it suits their face well. They smile, and people immediately start clapping.

"Good evening. Today,  _Divine Vendetta_ will showcase our red collection. It consists of two boys and two girls. They're new, so welcome them warmly. If anyone wants to place bets or make reservations, please wait until after the showcase. Thank you." They clap again, and the woman next to Xiao gushes.

"Isn't he just  _magnificent?_ God, I'd love to have a romp with him!" The other girl next to her giggles.

"What would your husband say?" 

"He doesn't know I'm here! Damn it, he think's I'm halfway to Jupiter for Pete's sake!" Xiao turns to her.

"Who is that exactly?" I have no idea?" But before the woman can even answer, Taeyong says it.

"Lu Han." He says clear as day. "It's Luhan. Fuck. This is where he went after all this time. He's the figurehead of  _Divine Vendetta?"_ Taeyong stood up and everyone else followed suit.

"Where are you going?" The woman next to Xiao asks. Taeyong pushes past her.

"To talk to Luhan. God, what a day. I never projected in a million years I'd see him again." The woman scoffs.

"No one goes and sees Luhan. You have to be, like, richer than belief." Taeyong sighs.

"I'm rich alright; rich with history. Luhan and I go way back. Luhan and us - he gestures to the group - go way back. Excuse me." Taeyong and everyone else makes their way around the backstage, and two men stop them.

"You can't have access to this part." One says. It sounds painfully rehearsed.

"We need to see Luhan." Johnny says. The man doesn't waver.

"You cannot. He's not up for reservations right now." Taeyong clenched his fists. Luhan could have some valuable information about Junmyeon.

"Listen. We don't want to buy him, we're friends from long ago. We need to  _talk_ to him." They hear heels clicking down the walkway in the back.

"Jorge, what's all this commotion back here? I can't think if there's a problem." Luhan in all his glory came behind the wall and Taeyong stared him in the eye.

"This guy says he knows you. Is it true?" Jorge says, pointing to Taeyong. Luhan nods, never taking his eyes off the group.

"Very. Taeyong. Johnny.  _Jaehyun."_ Luhan says. Taeyong all but runs and hugs the man.

"It's been too long." Luhan says in the embrace. Taeyong begins to sniffle on his shoulder. He remembers all of them being young Gaean soldiers, and Luhan being one of Junmyeon's right hand men. He remembers the man being nicer and softer than Junmyeon. He remembers the man leaving, saying he couldn't work with Junmyeon anymore, but never telling why. Johnny and Jaehyun join the embrace, and Xiao watches happily.

"I heard about Jaehyun's sentencing from a birdie. Is he okay now?" Luhan says, looking at Jaehyun. Jaehyun gives a small smile.

"I remember some things, but not others. The memories come in slow." Luhan nods.

"Figures. That bastard Junmyeon would try and make it stick to you had you ever retained your consious back." Johnny looks at Luhan.

"We need to talk." Luhan nods, giving a gummy smile.

"And talk we shall."


	11. shí yī / 十一 (eleven)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Come with us. I know you have duties here, but if we have to fight to get you outta here, we'll sure as hell fight." Sicheng nods.
> 
> "Did you even have to ask?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yuta and sicheng smut! yeah don’t lie like you weren’t waiting for this

Yuta keeps walking down the hallway, looking at the card he had obtained at the door. It told him the room number, and Yuta was feeling a little off-put. He was sweating, (natually) and thoughts just kept running in his head. Was Sicheng okay? What happened all those years he wasn't here? Did he still feel anything for him? Soon, the room number came up; Room number 24. Yuta took a deep breath, and knocked on the door. He heard soft footsteps, and Sicheng answered the door.

"Hello, Mr. Y.N. It's a pleasure to..." Sicheng looked up, saw Yuta, and stopped talking. Yuta and Sicheng stared at each other, just looking and not saying a word.

"Yuta?" Sicheng asked quietly. Yuta nodded at him.

"It's me. It's really me." Sicheng pulled Yuta in an air-tight hug, and they both shuffled into the room. They both gripped each other, caught up in their reunion.

"I can't believe you actually came. I thought it was all a dream." Sicheng breathed out between kisses. Yuta nodded. Sicheng was wearing a robe, and Yuta slipped it past his shoulders.

"Yeah. Taeyong and Jaehyun called me up. Jaehyun regained his memory again. Junmyeon didn't win, baby." Sicheng smiled and cupped Yuta's face, kissing him deeper. Yuta's hands wouldn't leave Sicheng - they were all over his face, neck, torso, everywhere. Sicheng gave a soft moan as Yuta began to kiss his neck. Yuta bit his neck and Sicheng leaned back to give him more access. Yuta slipped a hand down Sicheng's underwear, and Sicheng's back curved beautifully.

"Still as sensitive as I remember you." Yuta whispered in his ear, his hand running up and down Sicheng's length.

"It's only been two years and Yuta, do that again." Sicheng said, gasping between words. Yuta kept going faster and faster, and Sicheng gripped Yuta's back, moaning in his ear. And Yuta had missed this. He had missed how pliant Sicheng was, he had missed the feeling of having the other man in his arms, making love to him, and showing him how much he cared.

By the way Sicheng flipped them over and began to kiss him back, Yuta could tell Sicheng missed it, too. They both discarded of the rest of the clothes on them, and they both curled into the bed that was in the room bare, kissing and touching.

"Lube, lube?" Yuta asked, tucking his face in the crook of Sicheng's shoulder. Sicheng groaned and reached his hand his hand to the dresser, grabbing the white bottle and passing it to Yuta. Yuta uncapped it and guided his hands towards Sicheng's entrance.

"It's okay. It won't hurt me." Sicheng said, seeing Yuta's hesitance. Yuta lowered his head down and pushed a finger in, trying to forget the reason why it wouldn't hurt. Sicheng bucked at the feeling, and Yuta soon added two fingers, pushing them in and out at a steady pace.

"Y-you can go faster," Sicheng said choppily. "I-I can take it." Yuta sighed.

"What if I wanna go slow? What if you've had to have fast fucks just to make money on this goddamn planet for two years, and I wanna go slow to show you how much i've missed you? How much I...how much I love you?" Yuta asks, his voice cracking. Tears roll down Sicheng's face, and Yuta believes this is the most beautiful thing he's ever witnessed.

"Okay." Sicheng says after a quick minute. Yuta resumes his task, and Sicheng grips Yuta's biceps. Yuta can feel himself getting hard, and Sicheng drops his hand to palm at Yuta's member. Yuta keens at the feeling, curling himself into Sicheng. At this point Yuta's sped up involuntarily, and Sicheng's legs are shaking.

"N-no, Yuta, stop. Please, I want- I need you." Sicheng chokes out. Yuta nods in understanding. He slips his hands out and takes more of the lube to put on his own member, coating in generously. Sicheng is spread out for him, adverting his gaze. Yuta isi instantly taken back to the first time they ever had sex, just on the edge of passing the Gaean Renegade test to become offical Renegades. Sicheng had been so wound up, and Yuta had been so in love.

He still is in love, to be honest.

Yuta slips in, and even though Sicheng probably had a man or woman in his bed a week, he's still as tight as ever.

"Fuck," Yuta groans, sliding in and out slowly. Sicheng is gripping the bedsheets, looking at Yuta. Sweat adorns both of their bodies, and Yuta begins to pick up speed. The sound of skin slapping on skin shouldn't be described as a melodic sound by any means, but that's the only thing Yuta could think of. Sicheng locks his ankles around the small of Yuta's back, and Yuta curls into Sicheng, pushing him into the bed as he fucks into him hard.

"Please, please, Yuta," Sicheng cries out. He doesn't even know what he's asking for anymore; he just knows Yuta needs to give it to him. Yuta keeps going, and he murmurs words of praise and love into Sicheng's ear. Sicheng nods and agrees, and Yuta can feel himself close.

"Yuta, please help me." Sicheng begs. Yuta doesn't do anything, and when Sicheng tries to reach down to help himself, Yuta slaps his hand away.

"No." Yuta says, and he shifts his angle to where he's hitting Sicheng's sweet spot just right. Sicheng cries out and thrashes around the bed, and Yuta knows he's about to lose it.

"Ah-ah," Sicheng yells, his volume increasing. "Yuta!" Sicheng comes, a mess on himself and the sheets. Yuta comes a few seconds later, just from Sicheng tightening against him alone. He growls Sicheng's name in the man's ear. He can feel himself filling Sicheng up, and Sicheng can feel it running down his thighs. It would bother him with a client.

Yuta would never be a client. Yuta gathered Sicheng in his arms and hugged him tight.

"We can't stay here." Yuta says. Sicheng nods.

"I know. I know." Sicheng is crying. Yuta wipes away his tears.

"They knew...this would happen." Yuta says. He's panting. He hasn't had sex like that in the longest time. Sicheng hasn't either.

"Oh." Sicheng says, giving a breathy laugh. "What do we do now?" Yuta rubs Sicheng's back, the other man curled into his chest.

"Not too sure. We're trying to find the rest of the division now, but we haven't really checked to see if Junmyeon was onto us. We're being careful because apparently Junmyeon did checks on them every week at some point and we know that's passed. I'm nervous. We just got Jaehyun back. Whatever Junmyeon planned back then, he could try again now." Sicheng nods.

"He was always a man who went to great lengths to get what he wanted." Yuta ran his hands along Sicheng's abdomen. He had a long jagged scar. He recieved it from Gaspra.

"Yuta..." Sicheng starts, already knowing where his mind is going.

"Did you know I have nightmares about that battle all the time?" Yuta says, still staring at the scar. "Seeing that Titan almost cut you open like you were nothing...that kills me, Sicheng. I could have lost you. The whole team could have lost you. Damn it, Johnny almost died, too. I can't lose you again." Yuta said, bringing Sicheng's hands to his face. He gives them kisses and Sicheng smiles.

"Come with us. I know you have duties here, but if we have to fight to get you outta here, we'll sure as hell fight." Sicheng nods.

"Did you even have to ask?" He said. Yuta leans in for a kiss, and Sicheng returns it happily. They stay embraced in each other's arms until they hear screaming.

"What's going on?" Sicheng asks. Soon, Luhan bursts into the room. Yuta hurridly covers them up.

"Luhan?" Yuta asks. He hasn't seen that man in an even longer time.

"No time for reunion right now. You two need to get up and ready. We have company. Some henchmen, and I presume they work for Junmyeon if this information about two people with a shit ton of reward money on their heads is correct.” Sicheng turns to Yuta.

"That must be Jaehyun and Taeyong." He says. Yuta nods.

"How much is the reward?" Yuta says. Luhan sighs.

"It's a lot of money. You could by a whole chunk of land in Gaea with that much." Yuta runs his hands through his hair.

"Holy shit. We'll be ready soon." Luhan nods.

"It's good to see you, Yuta." He says before he shuts the door. Yuta hops out the bed and helps Sicheng.

"Luhan's here, too?" Sicheng nods.

"He's the figurehead for Divine Vendetta. The real man who runs it is the king of Ceres. It's one of the big establishments that brings money to this planet. I saw him again when I left Gaea. He offered me a job, and I took it. It isn't as bad as you think, but...but I still didn't like it all that much. I needed money, though, so I swalllowed my pride and did what I had to do." Yuta nods.

"Well, I'm here now. And I'm not gonna leave you again." Sicheng smiles, shimmying into a shirt and jeans.

"I won't leave you either."

 

Hanbin found out about the reward money from some guy named Lucas.

"So you're the person backstabbing these people?" Junhoe asked looking at Lucas. Jungwoo was behind him, and he had a mean look on his face. Lucas coughed and nodded his head.

"Something like that, I suppose. I don't know why Junmyeon hired people for this when he put out a whole reward money order if anyone found them?"

Hanbin also found out that Lucas talked way too much. He assumes he nor his team was supposed to know that, but they know now, and there was no way they were getting out of this without that reward money.

"It could be dangerous trying to get it. Junmyeon's a scary guy, and he didn't tell us about it for a reason!" Jiwon exclaimed, frowning. Hanbin flicked him on the ear.

"We need that fucking money. We have to at least try." When Junmyeon and his advisors arrived at Ceres with the rest of them, they stayed stationed at a fueling dock.

"We're not going to actually go in there. If anyone was to see me at a planet like Ceres, that would be horrible press for Gaea. I could never do that to my country." Hanbin downright hated Junmyeon. As if he didn't already fucking know that. He also noticed some tension with that Lucas guy and the other one who called himself Jungwoo.

"Are they a couple? Are they fighting?" Chanwoo asked. Jinhwan shrugged.

"I don't know. I barely know them!" Donghyuk sighed.

"Obviously they're a couple. They're at odds with each other. They're having a little dispute right now."

"I could actually kill you, y'know?" Jungwoo yelled at Lucas. "Having me going against my friends like this because of your dumbass alliance with Junmyeon. Why did you do that, again?" Lucas rolled his eyes.

"Honey, this is not the time to be doing this." Lucas said, his words strained. Jungwoo slapped him.

"Fuck your time. I'm going to see the people I love for the first time in two years and they'll see me as a traitor. A fraud. I can't do that." Jungwoo was crying now. Lucas didn't know how to comfort him without ruining his plan. He sighed.

"If you want to leave, you can. You don't tell them anything about me, though." Lucas was heartbroken. He didn't want Jungwoo to leave.

"I know you hate me now, but I swear to you. I would never betray them. I'm going to lose their trust over this, but I'm not a traitor." Jungwoo sighed.

"If I do get with them, then you must know I will tell. I can't keep anyting from them." Lucas nodded. Asking Jungwoo that was taking a shot, though.

"Alright. Do as you please." Jungwoo nodded. He stilled loved Lucas - Yukhei when they were alone - but he couldn't go with this plan, whatever the plan was. Jungwoo nods and gives Lucas a peck on the cheek.

"Yukhei, if whatever you're planning isn't for the greater good, I swear on everything i'll kick your ass." Lucas can't help but laugh at that.

"I know you will. You won't have to." Lucas kissed Jungwoo on the forehead and he watched the love of his life run into the streets of Ceres. Hanbin watched too and he was angry.

"What is he doing? He's gonna mess up our whole plan." Lucas sighed.

"Stop thinking about money for a second. If it's money you want, I can get you that myself. What we're trying to do is just beyond this petty task Junmyeon has sent us on." Lucas turns and looks all of them in the eye. They all get chills.

"Junmyeon is a man of pure evil. He cannot kill Jaehyun and wed Taeyong. That would be dangerous to the whole universe. Junmyeon is the most power-hungry man I've met in my life." Hanbin coughs.

"Kill? We didn't sign up for killing. All we do is hijack, and rough people up. The worst thing we've done is severly hurt a person. Never have we killed unless it was absolutely neccesary. That pompus bastard was gonna have us kill the man? He was gonna let us have that blood on our hands." Jiwon scoffed.

"I knew he was dangerous from the start!" Yunhyeong looked around.

"So what do we do now?" Hanbin looks at Lucas.

"You against Junmyeon?" Lucas nods.

"More than you'll ever know."

"I think we have a plan."

"Is it a good plan?" Lucas asks.

"It's a messy plan. But I have a feeling you don't care either way."


	12. shí èr / 十二 (twelve)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "It's funny that you trusted me this quickly." Jungwoo said.
> 
> "Well, you and your friends have this aura about yourselves. You reek nothing but honesty and valor and all that bullshit. It's kind of hard to deny you people of help."

The plan was to cause a scene at  _Divine Vendetta._

"I knew putting a tracker on that guy was a good idea." Hanbin said. Chanwoo pulled out a honing device, and Zhi's tracker pinged him at the establishment.

"What if they're not there?" Lucas says. Chanwoo shook his head.

"I got a gut feelin'. They're there." Lucas sighs. They were going off of a kid's  _gut feeling?_ He shook his head. This was the only option he had at the moment to actually prove to Jungwoo that he wasn't as bad as he seemed. Leaving Jungwoo out of the dark for two years had probably been one of the hardest things he's had to do in his life. But, it was indeed for the greater good.

Junmyeon could  _not_ know what he was truly planning. If he were to find out that he's been secretly planning his demise for two years behind his back...he'd die. Junmyeon would see to it that his death would be slow and painful because he was a sadistic fuck like that. Lucas had to stay alive to tell Jaehyun the truth. Lucas had found out why Junmyeon went bat-shit crazy on Jaehyun all that time ago. It wasn't pretty by any means, but it's something he knew because he snooped around and became buddy-buddy with Junmyeon.

He had to stay alive to tell him, at least. After that...well Lucas didn't really know. He turned his attention back to Hanbin and his team.

"How do you know Zhi is going there for them? He could be going there for himself, y'know." Yunhyeong said. Chanwoo shook his head vigrously.

"No! When we showed him the picture of Taeyong and Jaehyun, he knew who they were. I could tell in his eyes. He's talked to them at least, and they've made some type of impact on him." Lucas shakes his head, chuckling. Just like Jaehyun to do that to people.

"He must be going there to help them. That's the only lead we have right now. If that isn't the case, then we'll deal with the reprocussions together." Lucas turns to Hanbin.

"Why are you going against Junmyeon, exactly. I know you're against killing, but you were signed up to get money from him." Hanbin shook his head.

"He's an asshole who can't fight his own battles which makes no sense for him being the Chief of the Renegades. The Renegades look like the enemy with him at the head of everything. He was going to get us to kill someone for him that  _he_ hates. We are bounty hunters, but we only hurt - we never kill. I don't like killing. I killed someone to save myself, and in the end it made me feel sick. I did it to save myself but at what cost? I took another life. That person breathed, they lived, they could have been going back home to  _something or someone._ I took that chance for them to go home again. It's something that never leaves you." Lucas nodded.

"Well, we're gonna fuck the bastard's plans all the way up with this. Let's raise hell, men." Hanbin smirks. It's grave.

"Let's do it."

 

They didn't really have a plan for  _how_ they were going to do it, persay, and it was an even worse idea letting Chanwoo handle it all. He went first, smoke bombs blazing, and Jiwon was right behind him with stun guns. People began screaming, and they began running trying to find an out. They were screaming even more because of the pouring rain that began to fall.

"Damn it! Sometimes I oughta smack his ass across the neck one good time." Junhoe said, strapping a stun gun around his side and hopping out of the little car they were in. Jinhwan and Donghyuk sat still, watching.

"If they need back up they'll tell us." Lucas watched the people running. He wanted to see everyone. He wanted to see Jungwoo.

"We all need to move. If we find Zhi, we can get him to tell us more about this." Lucas nodded. They all hopped out the car and stormed into  _Divine Vendetta,_ ready for whatever came their way.

 

 

Jungwoo was walking through Ceres, and he was sort of lost. After leaving Lucas, he had no sense of direction. He didn't want to be left on Ceres by himself. He wanted Lucas, if he wanted to be truthful.  _No._ Lucas had been hiding something from him for years, and if the secret isn't big enough, Jungwoo was just going to have to say goodbye to the man. He didn't want to do that, though. He believed Lucas had a reason for his actions deep down.

Jungwoo kept walking when he bumped into a burly man. He cursed and backed up, ready to say something to the man, when he saw the paper that was gripped in his hand. It was a flier with Jaehyun and Taeyong's faces on it, advertising reward money. He needed to follow this man.

"Hey wait!" Jungwoo yelled. It was raining, and he could feel the drag of water against his pants and shirt. The man turned around and looked confused. Jungwoo kept running towards him.

"What do you want?" The man asked sharply.

"I need to know what you plan to do with that." Jungwoo said back, pointing to the paper.

"None of your business." Jungwoo sighed.

"Those are my friends. It is my  _business."_ The burly man paused.

"Friends. What are their names?" He asked.

"Jaehyun and Taeyong. The Gaean Government has a price on their head for the dumbest reason, and I need to get them back. You can trust me." Jungwoo looked straight into the man's eyes, unwavering. The man looked away first.

"Fine. That was freaky, never do that again." Jungwoo smiled.

"So, where are you going?" The man frowned.

"To get my motorbike. Then I'm heading to  _Divine Vendetta._ I talked to them when they first arrived at the planet. They said they were attempting to get a friend as well." Jungwoo stopped short. Someone else from their division had been on Ceres this whole time? They had gotten to Yuta and Johnny. Who else did they have?

"They really are getting the team together." The burly man stopped at a car shop, and walked to the back, greeting some of the men in the shop. Jungwoo quickly walked behind him.

"Team?" Jungwoo nodded.

"We were all Gaean soldiers ourselves." Jungwoo can feel tears threatning to come. "It was a long time ago. We don't do that anymore." The man nods.

"The name's Zhi by the way." Jungwoo extended his hand.

"Jungwoo." Zhi pulled a huge motorbike from the back of the shop, and he revved it up.

"Hop on the back. We're gonna go fast." Jungwoo nodded and hopped on. 

"It's funny that you trusted me this quickly." Jungwoo said.

"Well, you and your friends have this aura about yourselves. You reek nothing but honesty and valor and all that bullshit. It's kind of hard to deny you people of help." Jungwoo can't do anyting but laugh at that. Zhi puts his foot on the gas, and they zoom out of the shop and onto a backroad to  _Divine Vendetta._

 

When they arrive, it's quiet. Jungwoo hops off the motorbike first, and he quickly makes his way to the steps. There's a man with a leather black book in his hands, and Jungwoo sighs. There's no way they can get in. It's reservation. Zhi comes up behind him and he curses.

"We're gonna have to go around the back." Zhi speaks after a hot minute. Jungwoo gives a curt nod, and they quietly make their way around to the back of the establishment. It's quiet here, too. Jungwoo steps back.

"We could get to that window. It's open." Jungwoo says. "I'm gonna need you to boost me up, and then I'll help you up there." Zhi agrees and they walk close to the window opening. Before Zhi can hoist Jungwoo up, they hear a sudden succession of crashes followed by screaming.

"Oh my god. What's happening?" Jungwoo asks.

"I don't know. Those boys I talked to could be here. Maybe they got here first." Jungwoo turned to Zhi.

"What boys?" He asks panicked.

"They were asking around if I had seen Taeyong and Jaehyun, but I didn't tell. I don't know how they would get here." Jungwoo shook his head.

"Get me up there. I'm gonna see what's going on." Zhi gave Jungwoo a boost, and Jungwoo jumped the rest of the way, catching onto the railing of the open window. He looks around and sees two people shuffling around in a room. They're talking, and when he gets a closer look, he sees its  _Yuta and Sicheng?_

 _"Yuta! Sicheng!"_ Jungwoo yells as loud as he could muster. Both heads turn his way and Sicheng manages to gasp.

"Jungwoo!" Sicheng exclaims. Yuta curses.

"Luhan just told us we need to go." Jungwoo grunts.

"Please help me!" He whines. Sicheng walks to the window and pulls Jungwoo up the rest of the way.

"What are you doing on Ceres? Have you been here, too?" Yuta asks. Jungwoo is unsure if he should tell how he got here.

"That doesn't matter." Jungwoo settles on saying. He'll explain things later. "I have someone I need you guys to help get up here. His name is Zhi, and he help me got here." Yuta's eyes widen.

"Zhi? He helped you get here? Wow, small world." Jungwoo nodded.

"He said he knew all of you guys." Sicheng sighed. 

"Sorry to break up our reunion, but we do need to go." Jungwoo nods. 

"I'm gonna get him." Jungwoo turns to the window, and when he looks down, Zhi is gone.

"What the?" Jungwoo questions.

"What is it?" Yuta asks, walking towards him. Sicheng is standing by the door.

"Zhi isn't there anymore! Where did he go?" Sicheng shakes his head.

"We can find out later! We need to go!" Jungwoo and Yuta walk towards the door with Sicheng and out of the room. As they walk up the hallways, they notice it's filled with smoke.

"Hey. That room smelled like pure sex. What were you two  _doing in there?"_ Jungwoo asks. Yuta snorts.

"If I was in a room that you and Lucas inhabited, it would smell like that too, don't lie." Jungwoo gives a hesitant chuckle. Little does he know, he's wrong. They proceed down the hallway, where they meet up with  _Luhan?_

"How many people are here?" Jungwoo asks, overwhelmed. Luhan smiles.

"Too many, Jungwoo. We need to move."


	13. shí sān / 十三 (thirteen)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaehyun ran up to Lucas, and Johnny thought he was going to give him a hug. Instead, Jaehyun slugged Lucas square in his jaw. Taeyong gasped and the other men behind Lucas caught him as he fell. Jaehyun gripped Lucas' shirt in fury.

Luhan shut the door to Sicheng and Yuta's room, and quickly (as quick as these dumbass heels would let him) walked down the hallway to find the rest of them. The smoke was intense, and he saw more than one man hitting people with stun guns.

What the hell was going on? He was able to make it to where he saw Jaehyun and everyone else hiding.

"We need to make it down that walkway. I'm sure there's no one down there, and there's a spare room where we can all group up." Luhan whispers. Jaehyun nods.

"What is going on?" He asks. Luhan shrugs.

"I haven't a clue! But we gotta go." Luhan takes off his heels and they all quickly made their way down the walkway Luhan spoke of.

"This way!" He says, waving his hand. As they walk, Luhan catches the eye of Sicheng, Yuta, and Jungwoo? Johnny's eyes get wide.

"They have Jungwoo!" He whisper-shouts. Taeyong nods.

"I see that." Xiao stays behind them. She eyes Jungwoo warily. Johnny remembers what Xiao said. He doesn't like it at all, but with all the commotion happening, he can't be too careful. He turns to Taeyong.

"Stay mindful of Jungwoo, okay?" Taeyong turns to Johnny.

"Why would you say that?" Johnny looks at Taeyong.

"Just trust me, alright. I have a...feeling about it." Taeyong nodded. When Jungwoo sees all of them, he throws his hands up.

"How may people are here?" He asks. Luhan smiles.

"Too many, Jungwoo. We have to move." He says. They all follow Luhan to the room he was talking about, and Luhan closes the door quietly.

"Okay. Anyone have any idea as to what the fuck is happening? We don't have long until this door is opened by the people doing this." Taeyong announced. Jungwoo sighs.

"Neither I or Zhi have any idea as to why this is happening. When he boosted me up to the open window and I got inside, I looked down for him but he was nowhere to be seen!" Xiao perked up.

"You were with Zhi?" She asks. Jungwoo nods. He looks to Johnny who's right beside him.

"Who's she?" He asks quietly.

"Someone we met on Phobos. Long story." Johnny says. Jungwoo nods. Jaehyun speaks.

"Does it have anything to do with Junmyeon? Could it have anything to do with him?" He asks. Everyone stays quiet for a second. That is a possibility. Yuta furrows his eyebrows.

"If that's the case, how would he have found out we were here? We literally left no paper trail." 

"Maybe a worker snitched." Xiao offered. Sicheng nods.

"These workers here can be really bitchy if money is involved. You guys kind of got a hefty price upon your heads." Taeyong snorts.

"Just like Junmyeon to make the price a lot." Jaehyun sighs.

"Why does he do this? Why won't he leave us alone? He already took my memory away from me!" Jaehyun yells. No one says anything. Out of all of them, Jaehyun had the worst treatment done unto him by Junmyeon. Luhan pats Jaehyun's shoulder.

"He's a selfish bastard, is what he is. While we buy time before we have to confront what's out there, I guess now is as good a time as any to tell you guys the reason why I left." Sicheng looked at Luhan.

"You're finally gonna tell?" Luhan shakes his head yes.

"Junmyeon...from the moment I met him, something was off about him. He was different than anyone else, and when I was put as one of his right hand men, my feeling intensified. Zitao and Yifan felt it, too, and they left just the same. Junmyeon was power-hungry; anyone with eyes could see that. The extent he went though, it was shocking. I found him dabbling with...with Titan technology. He was dabbling in their culture (what Gaea has recorded anyway), their language, their customs, everything. The technology he had  if fixed properly would allow him to communicate with a Titan. This was completely off the books, and when I saw what I saw, I immediately told Yifan and Zitao. We confronted him, naturally, and that wasn't good at all.

 

_"Junmyeon. What the hell is this?" Yifan says, pointing to the communication device. Junmyeon sighed._

_"It's a personal project. I'm going to be Chief soon, and personal research is a right people of my family’ status gain." Zitao rolled his eyes._

_"Oh fuck that. What were you planning on doing with that? That could bring them here to Gaea, y'know! I know you're a higher rank than us, but you are still a kid! You need to-" Junmyeon began laughing._

_"I'm older than you, Zitao, first of all. You should be training with all the other trainees, but for some reason you passed the test to become one of my close advisors. You're more of an assistant to me, though." Zitao was flaming. Yifan sighed._

_"Well, me and Luhan are older than you, and I know your father taught you to respect your elders." Junmyeon taps his chin in thought._

_"I respect people who don't get in my business, whether they be younger or older. I don't respect people who meddle._   _" Luhan pinches the bridge of his nose with his fingers._

_"Junmyeon. Quit trying to deflect. Why did you have it? What were you planning on doing? I know you know the implications of what that could do; you're not a stupid kid by any means. But, what made you throw all caution to the wind and mess with this stuff?" Junmyeon looked down at his table and looked back up at them._

_"I know what I want. I will always get what I want because that's what I'm owed. So what if I'm curious? Maybe they aren't as bad a people as we think? Maybe we're just the bad people. Maybe their objectives aren't fully bad, what if they have meaning?" Luhan couldn't believe what he was hearing. Junmyeon had gone off the deep end. He could see the same for Zitao and Yifan. They were all shocked._

_"You can't possibly mean that! They will kill a human point blank the first time they see one!" Zitao shouted. Junmyeon still looked down._

_"Maybe if the human was faster, stronger, smarter...they wouldn't die. This motivates us to become better human beings, too." Luhan shook his head. This was crazy. Junmyeon couldn't really think like this. Could he?_

_"You don't mean any of that. You're just talking. You'll laugh it off, and we'll go get store ramen, and we'll eat it, and we'll laugh. Right?" Luhan said, nervously chuckling. Junmyeon still had his eyes trained on the table._

_"I'm serious. We need to be better." And when Luhan looked in Junmyeon's eyes, there was unabashed conviction. Luhan gulped._

 

"After that, Yifan, Zitao, and I all left and spread out across the universe like how you guys did. I haven't heard from them in five years, so I don't know what they're doing right now. I wonder what that is." Luhan said dreamily. Jaehyun was wiping tears away on his shirt and everyone else was deep in thought.

"So that's why you left, huh? Because Junmyeon had went crazy in your eyes?" Yuta asked. Luhan nodded. 

"He went insane. Neither I, Zitao, or Yifan could deal with that anymore. So we left. I've been here for the longest. Now it seems as if I have to go." Sicheng comes up to Luhan and clasps his hand in his.

"I'm leaving too. We can't afford to be comfortable anymore." Luhan smiles.

"So what's the plan?" Taeyong perks up.

"If they really do have weapons - and none of us don't - then we need to be careful. We're just gonna have to try and get the weapon away from them if we even come into contact with someone. Second thing, we need to find Zhi." Xiao nodded.

"You can leave that to me." Taeyong smiles a bit. 

"I trust that you all will cover each other if you see someone else in need. Now let's try and get the hell outta here." Taeyong says, clapping his hands together. Johnny opens the door and they all slip out as quiet as they can. Everyone begins to split up. Luhan, Sicheng, Yuta, and Jungwoo head for the exit while Taeyong, Johnny, Jaehyun, and Xiao head towards the back of the building.

"If they can get out, they can get Yuta's ship and come pick us up, I figure." Taeyong whispered. Jaehyun nodded. Walking down the quiet hallway, they see vases broken, water on the floor, and flowers destroyed.

"Whoever came in here was looking for something." Johnny said quietly. "But what, though?"

"We were looking for you." A voice said, They all turned around, posed and ready to fight, but all they see is Zhi. Xiao smiles.

"Zhi! You're safe!" She exclaims. Zhi nods.

"They caused this ruckus looking for all of you." He said. When he turns around, they see Lucas standing with a bunch of other people. Jaehyun frowns. Lucas? He looks into the boy's eyes, and a feeling hits him. He knows it well now. He's getting another vital memory.

 

_"He won't talk, he just keeps staring! I don't know what to do, I want him to talk to me, Lucas. I want to know what happened." Taeyong yells in hysterics. Jaehyun is on the ground, and he's bloodied beyond belief. His back is littered with deep gashes that will probably scar over, his lip is split, he's dirty, and he only has on pants. His hair is matted and tangled, and he looks like hell._

_"I can't- I can't make him talk." Lucas says defeated. Taeyong frowns._

_"You can do something! Do something, he can't stay like this any longer. If he does, I'll go crazy." Jaehyun wouldn't speak. He was too afraid. If he could speak, he'd tell Taeyong to get the hell away from Lucas. He had seen things. Things Lucas and Junmyeon were apart of._

_It was the reason he was like this, anyway. Jaehyun didn't think Lucas was bad, but he knew he was sneaky. Sneaky in a way that didn't sit right with him. He needed clarity when it came to Lucas. His mind was screaming at him to open his mouth, to tell what he'd seen, what he witnessed. But Junmyeon kept popping in there, too._

_**"Say a word, and I'll kill you, and I'll kill them all. You're all weak and I'm strong. I will kill you all."** _

_He kept his mouth closed._

 

Jaehyun ran up to Lucas, and Johnny thought he was going to give him a hug. Instead, Jaehyun slugged Lucas square in his jaw. Taeyong gasped and the other men behind Lucas caught him as he fell. Jaehyun gripped Lucas' shirt in fury.

"Tell me exactly what happened two years ago. I know you know. I know it. Why am I like this? What happened with Junmyeon? Why were you sneaking around? Why!" He screamed at the man. Lucas just stared at him, scared beyond belief. Taeyong gripped Jaehyun's back.

"You have to stop! We need to go, we need-"

"I don't care! I have the only link that can tell me exactly what happened all that time ago and I'm not losing it. Besides, he has some explaining to do, anyway!" Jaehyun was beginning to choke Lucas. He was gasping for air, and Taeyong sighed and all but body slammed Jaehyun, causing them to roll into the wall. Taeyong put Jaehyun in a headlock, and he began whispering in his ear. Jaehyun had gone mad, demanding that Lucas speak, but Taeyong knew he needed this.

"Calm down, it's alright. It's going to be okay." Taeyong kept whispering in his ear. Soon, Jaehyun slumped in Taeyong's arms, and Taeyong sighed.

"Get outside. Now. We'll talk about this later." Taeyong said, eyeing Lucas with new curiosity. Everyone nodded and left Taeyong and Jaehyun alone.

"Taeyong. I got another memory." Taeyong perked up.

"About?"

"Lucas. He's hiding something. I can feel it, I know it." Taeyong trusted Jaehyun with all his heart.

"What do you think he's hiding?"

"Something big. Do any of you have an  _idea_ of what he could have been doing while you guys were split up?" 

"He was still on Gaea for some time, I know that. We weren't allowed to talk to each other, but I did see him from time to time with Jungwoo. It never crossed my mind that it could have been weird. I was more focused on you." Jaehyun looks around. He can feel the sweat on his forehead.

"Why did it have to be us?" He asks quietly. Taeyong runs his fingers through Jaehyun's hair.

"Because you're special. And you're strong. And you were meant to do this. To change things and people for the better." 

 

Junmyeon looked at his watch. The bounty hunters had been gone for way too long. He turns to Chanyeol.

"Turn on the honing device. I wanna know where they're at." He says. Chanyeol does as asked, and it pings them all at  _Divine Vendetta._

"They went to a fancy ass brothel? What a bunch of freeloaders. I really do have to accomplish everything myself." Junmyeon turns to his men.

"Get our ship up and ready. We're gonna go to  _Divine Vendetta_ and pay them a visit, teach them a lesson, and then we'll find Jaehyun and Taeyong." They all nod and Kyungsoo gets set on finding coordinates. Junmyeon walks to his private room towards the back of the ship and shuts the door. He locks it for good measure.

Sitting at the desk, he opens a drawer, and pulls out a shining black jewel. It has red specks in it, and he holds it up in front of his face. He sighs.

"Time to use you again, huh old buddy?" He says quietly. He pulls out a necklace. It's gold and has a placeholder for the jewel. He puts the jewel in the middle and locks it tight. He then opens a slit. It has a little prick at the top, and Junmyeon slides his finger across it. Blood travels its way from the prick down to the jewel, and it coats it. The jewel begins to glow, and Junmyeon closes his eyes. He revels in this feeling. The feeling of power he knows no one else can have.

"I am..." He says. "...the greatest human alive." 

He can only thank the Titans for this gift.


	14. shí sì / 十四 (fourteen)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You ain't hide shit, Yukhei!" Junmyeon said, his eyes turning red. Everyone was seriously confused. 
> 
> "I don't know if we can fight that." Jinhwan said, turning to Hanbin. Hanbin wasn't sure, either.
> 
> "Do you think I'm stupid? You think I didn't know what you were doing behind my back all this time?" Junmyeon said, his voice meshing with a deeper one that was not his own.

Yuta, Sicheng, Luhan, and Jungwoo were still waiting outside for them.

"They've been in there for too long. Who knows what happened?" Sicheng says concerned. Yuta nods. Just as he's about to make his way back up the steps, He sees a crowd of people walk outside. They're all sweaty, and they look shocked. Yuta sees Lucas and just shakes his head. He's going to have to get used to seeing old faces again.

"What is he talking about?" Johnny asks, turning to Lucas. And he looks  _mad._ Yuta's confused.

"I can't say. I have to tell him." Lucas says feebily. Johnny scoffs and turns his head.

"Bullshit. What is it that you have to tell him that you can't tell us? Huh?" He asks, his voice raising. Jungwoo just looks on. He knew this would happen. He just hopes no one else hates him, too.

"Jaehyun has to know before all of you. That's all I'm saying." Lucas says. Jungwoo sighs. If they're all gonna grill him, he should at least be by his side. He makes his way over to Lucas and Lucas gives him a tight hug.

"I-" Lucas starts. Jungwoo shushes him.

"You knew this was coming, didn't you?" Lucas nods.

"I didn't expect Jaehyun to choke me before I even had the chance to explain." He says. Jungwoo looks at Lucas' neck, and there are ugly red handprints around it. He's a little mad, but he can't blame Jaehyun. He's wanted to choke Lucas for the longest.

"What is going on?" Yuta asks. They've been left out of the loop. Soon, Jaehyun and Taeyong come from the building, Taeyong supporting Jaehyun. Yuta runs to them and sighs.

"What the fuck is happening. Lucas is babbling to Jungwoo, and Johnny looks like he's about to pop a vein. Also, who the hell are those guys?" Taeyong shakes his head.

"Too much to recap. Shit." Taeyong says, panting. Jaehyun isn't light. "Lucas is shady. Johnny's upset with reason. Those guys...that still hasn't been addressed." Yuta nods, and helps Taeyong get Jaehyun down the steps. Jungwoo pushes Lucas out of his sight. They can't have another fight on their hands.

"What do we do now?" Luhan asks. "This place is kind of ruined from your little stunt." He turns to the group of guys. "It would take weeks for this to be repaired, but now that you guys know I'm here, this isn't a safe place for me or Sicheng anymore. We don't have that much time before someone comes to see this, and then we'll really be screwed." One guy stands up, and clears his throat.

"My name is Hanbin. This is my team. Gonna be honest with you. We were hired by Junmyeon." Everyone gasps. "He wanted us to kill that guy." Hanbin points to Jaehyun.

"He also wanted us to bring him the other guy." He moves his finger from Jaehyun to Taeyong. Sicheng scoffs.

"He's still hung up on you? What a fucking creep." 

"We don't kill. Once we found that out, we immediately linked up with Lucas to fuck this whole plan over." Taeyong turns and looks at Lucas. He's an enigma. He can't be figured out.

"We will admit, the bombs and stun guns were a bit overboard, but we had to cause a distraction to get to you guys. We need to get off this planet now. That's it. Everyone split up with who you want to be with, and get the fuck off this planet. We'll stay here - Lucas you, too - and we'll tell Junmyeon that we got in a fight and lost. That you guys got away. He'll probably cuss us out and fire us, but we won't care." Taeyong nods.

"Sounds like a solid plan." Lucas turns to Jungwoo.

"Are you staying with me?" He asks the man quietly in his ear. Jungwoo sighs.

"Yes." He says. Lucas squeezes him tighter. Luhan frowns.

"Pause!" He shouts so everyone can hear him. "What is that noise?" They all get quiet and listen. It sounds like a low rumbling. They all look to the sky. Something bright is coming over the trees that surround the area. When it comes, Yuta all but curses the gods. It's a white ship, pristine with no scratches or cracks.

"It's a Gaean ship! They found us!" Luhan says, panicking. Jaehyun sits up at full attention now despite how tired he is.

"We have to fight." Hanbin growls.

"Here." He says, running to their vehicle and throwing all kids of weapons out of it. "I don't like that pompus son of a bitch, so take a weapon and fucking fight." Everyone grabs something, and they ready themselves. The ship pauses about halfway from the ground, and they see Junmyeon himself step out with a bullhorn.

"Stop this foolish game. Hand Jaehyun and Taeyong over to me, and everyone else go about your business around this universe. We don't want things to get ugly." He speaks calmly. Luhan looks up at the ship, and he can see Minseok staring at the ground. He wants to cry.

"Oh, fuck you, dude!" Johnny yells. Junmyeon laughs through the bullhorn.

"I'm giving you a chance. Hand them over, and everything can be alright. No one will get hurt." Yunhyeong cocks a gun. Jaehyun stares Junmyeon dead in his eyes and gives a wicked smirk.

"Fuck your chances. Come and fight if you want us so bad." Junmyeon nods.

"You asked for it." Jaehyun grips his gun, and he feels a sense of euphoria. He hasn't fought like this in battle in a long time. Junmyeon comes to the ground, and he's in all white. Lucas looks at him and sees he has on a gold necklace. All the color drains from his face.

"Oh fuck." He whispers. Jungwoo looks at him.

"What?" Lucas points to his necklace.

"I thought I hid that!" He screams. Junmyeon laughs. It sounds warped and ugly.

"You ain't hide  _shit, Yukhei!"_ Junmyeon said, his eyes turning red. Everyone was seriously confused. 

"I don't know if we can fight that." Jinhwan said, turning to Hanbin. Hanbin wasn't sure, either.

 _"Do you think I'm stupid? You think I didn't know what you were doing behind my back all this time?"_ Junmyeon said, his voice meshing with a deeper one that was not his own.

 _"You thought you were helping your friends by going behind their back and trying to make an alliance with me. You actually thought you were doing something. As if I would fully trust you."_ Lucas kept his lips shut.

 _"Well, you've messed with the wrong one, Yukhei. You can't take this away from me. It belongs to me, it was given to me by gods! I am a god, and since you all want to test me, i'll show you why you should grovel at my feet."_ Jungwoo gripped Lucas for dear life.

"What is he about to do?" He asked. Lucas let a tear slip.

"He's about to unleash hell upon us." Junmyeon put his hands in the air, and shadows began to encircle everyone. They could see nothing, but they all heard Junmyeon's manic laughter. Monster-like beings came from the shadows, and they had red eyes, akin to Junmyeon's.

"What the fuck is he  _on?"_ Yuta shouts. The shadows look at them, and then they attack. One knocks Johnny down, and he struggles to get up. Hanbin cocks his gun and fires a shot, and Sicheng has to move so the beam didn't cut right through his body. He moves and shoves Luhan down on the ground.

Jaehyun blinks a few times. He can't really see, but he can  _feel_ what's around him, and that's half the battle. One comes around him, and Jaehyun deflects easily. It tries again, extending its arm, and it cuts Jaehyun on his side. He groans in pain, and rolls the other way. One repeatedly knocks Lucas to the ground, and Jungwoo tries to pull Lucas away, crying all the while.

 

 

Xiao and Zhi look from a hiding place, and Xiao is torn.

"What should we do? We're the only ones not in that mess, but if we even step foot around them, I feel as if his dark energy will sense us immediately." Zhi nods.

"I have to get back to Mina." Zhi says absently.

"I'm going to go." Xiao says. "You head back and get your daughter and leave." Zhi shakes his head.

"I have to help you." Xiao looks around.

"I'm going to try and get on the ship. Cover me." Zhi nods, pulling out a gun from his pocket. Xiao finds a path that will allow her to get to the ship from the woods, and she runs, Zhi right behind her. She approaches the ship and quickly climbs the ladder. Zhi is covering her from the woods, and when she gets to the door, a man meets her there. He has papers in his hand.

"We can't help you down there. We can help you this way." They all look at her pleadingly.

"What is your name?" She asks the man with papers.

"Minseok. Tell Luhan I said...I love him." Xiao understood now. She takes the papers.

"Get out of here, now. He will kill you. Hide in the woods until this is over, and then hand them the documents. They'll know what to do." Minseok covers Xiao's hand with his. "You can't win this battle today." Xiao nods and squeezes his hand.

"I will deliver your message. You don't like him either?" They all stare at her.

"I think you know the answer to that." She nods and quickly makes her way down from the ship. She sees them struggling, but she turns away and heads towards the woods anyway. She has to keep these documents safe.

 

Taeyong can't see shit, and he hears Jaehyun. He sounds like he's in pain. 

"Jaehyun!  _Yoonoh!"_ Taeyong shouts.

 _"Yoonoh, Yoonoh, Yoonoh. It's always him. Why is that? He isn't better than me by any means!"_ Junmyeon says, standing right in front of Taeyong. Taeyong turns his head away, tears spilling from his eyes.

"You stop this right now, and let us leave." Junmyeon rolls his eyes.

 _"You knew that was a feeble attempt at getting me to stop. Back to Jaehyun. He doesn't have what I have. He isn't anything like what you need. All he's brought you is chaos and pain."_ Taeyong chuckled.

"No, that's all on you."

 _"Come with me, and all this stops. Lucas will die if he keeps getting hit. Luhan is unconsious, he hit the ground so hard. No one can see, and Jaehyun is bleeding out there. Come with me right now, and all of this stops. You want to save them? Sacrifice yourself."_ Taeyong turns, and Junmyeon moves his hand. He can see Hanbin and his team shooting haphazardly. He sees Luhan on the ground and Sicheng shaking him. He sees Jaehyun touching his side, blood running down his hand. He looks away from that. Too familiar. He sees Lucas being pummled. He sees Jungwoo crying and hears him screaming. He sees Johnny trying to dodge, and Yuta on his side, helping him.

"Fine." Taeyong says. Junmyeon smiles. It isn't pretty.

 _"Hold my hand."_ Junmyeon says. Taeyong puts his hand in Junmyeon's and he breathes out.

 _"I always win."_ He mutters, and he waves his hand. The chaos in front of  _Divine Vendetta_ stops, and Junmyeon materializes away, Taeyong as well. Lucas is coughing up blood, and Jungwoo hugs him. Everyone can see clearly again, and they all rejoice. Jaehyun sighs. His side stopped bleeding. Luhan blinks and sits up.

"Oh god, that's over!" Chanwoo screams. Johnny is leaning on Yuta, who's heaving on the ground. That took a lot out of them. Yuta has a cut above his eyebrow, and Johnny has cuts on his hands. They sting. Yuta sees Xiao and Zhi run from the woods, and they look distraught.

"What's wrong?" Yuta says. Xiao is crying and Zhi has his hands in his hair.

"Junmyeon took Taeyong! Look!" She shouts, pointing to the ship. When they turn their heads, they see Taeyong through a window, his face pressed to the glass, crying. Jaehyun loses his sanity and runs to the ship.

"No! No! No you fucking bastard!" He screams. Jaehyun pulls up dirt from the ground, sobbing loudly. Everyone just watches, shocked.

"He really did it. He took him." Sicheng whispered, Yuta holding him tight. Hanbin and his team hold each other as well. The sound of Jaehyun's sobs were deafening and heartwrenching. He grips the ground tight, his chest hurting.

"We...are going to get him back." He stands up, dirt in his hair, and dirt falling from his hands. "...and then I'm ending this and killing him." 


	15. shí wǔ / 十五 (fifteen)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully they could get some answers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is a short chapter could have been called 14.5 but nah

They all make the trek back to the fueling docks, a person short. Every step hurts for Jaehyun, and he doesn't know how he can go on. 

"We'll get him back. Promise." Johnny said, walking with Jaehyun. Jaehyun was reminded of how Johnny was his best friend. He sighed, on the verge of tears.

"Yeah." He said. It was the only response he could muster. Xiao looked at Zhi.

"This is goodbye. We have to leave, now." Zhi nodded.

"It could be goodbye. But, I'm going to come with you guys." Xiao shook her head.

"That's way too dangerous! You can't." Zhi sighed.

"I've hid away on this planet for years. I've practically raised Mina here. I want to help. I haven't been this passionate about something since Mina was born." Xiao smiled wide.

"If you're sure." Zhi nodded.

"Let me just get Mina and her things." Zhi said, turning towards his food stand. They had taken a stop by Zhi's food stand, because they weren't gonna lie, they were all hungry. Eating his food put them in a calm state.

"Today has been a mess." Yuta says. Luhan snorts.

"It's probably the next day if we're going to be real. Junmyeon's really done it now. He's going to end up dead." Sicheng nods.

"There's no way Jaehyun's gonna let him live after this. I don't understand why he likes Taeyong when he and Yifan were a thing?" Luhan sighs.

"That all changed when  _he_ changed. After Yifan left, I don't know what happened, but I assume he latched on to Taeyong for some reason." Yuta nods. That actually makes sense.

"I wonder where the hell he is. We could use his expertise in the field that's Junmyeon. I just don't get that guy." Luhan sighs. 

"No one ever will."

 

Once Zhi gets Mina, he revs up his ship. Xiao looks at Zhi.

"Are you okay if I ride with you?" She asks. Mina smiles.

"Ride with us, Miss!" Xiao laughs at her and nods.

"Okay." Zhi sits at the control center while Xiao sits in the back with Mina. They had already discussed flying to the fueling docks with them and then setting a course of action later. Everyone else was waiting on them. Yuta, Sicheng, and Luhan are in Yuta's ship while Jaehyun, Lucas, Jungwoo and Johnny are in Johnny's ship. Johnny looks at Jaehyun.

"You sure you're gonna be alright with them riding in here? I can ask Yuta to switch some people." Jaehyun waves his hand.

"I don't care. I'm set on getting Taeyong back." Johnny nods, patting Jaehyun's shoulder. Lucas healed a little bit when the chaos stopped, but his stomach was littered with big bruises, and he still had cuts on his face. Jungwoo sat right beside him silent. Lucas didn't feel like talking, either. He would talk if Jaehyun wanted him to. Johnny, Yuta, and Zhi were all set on one feed.

"Where are we setting our coordinates to?" Johnny asks. Yuta tsks.

"I wish we knew where Yifan was. Then I'd say  _there."_

"Guys! Set your coordinates to Lysithea!" Xiao suddenly says. 

"Why the Jovian System of all places?" Yuta asks exasperated. That would take at least a week's travel. Johnny sighed. He knew it, too.

"Just trust me." She said. "When we pit stop, I'll explain why." She pulled out the first document and smiled. She was saddened by Taeyong being gone, byut she had a way to get him back. The documents Minseok handed her had the information of everyone on it and their whereabouts. She found the sheet about Yifan, and it placed him at Lysithea two months ago. Hopefully he would still be there.

Hopefully they could get some answers.


	16. shí liù /  十六 (sixteen)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Please don't make a ruckus. I do not need Chief Junmyeon coming in here."
> 
> "He's gonna come in here anyway. Bride ran as soon as the news came." Jongin said, shaking his head. Taeyong nods and frowns.
> 
> "I'm gonna kill him." Chanyeol sighs.

**PART THREE: TURNING POINT**

 

 

 

+

 

 

 

They had been flying for three days. The tension between everyone was palpable, and Jaehyun would call it downright uncomfortable. He still didn't like Lucas, and he didn't fancy Jungwoo either because he kept staying by his side. Maybe Jungwoo was trying to protect Lucas from him. He had to give the man that. That man named Hanbin or whatever and his crew followed them and Jaehyun was thorughly confused. He didn't understand  _why_ exactly; they had nothing to do with this. Well, they don't like Junmyeon, and Jaehyun can reciprocate that feeling ten-fold. 

He also felt empty. The love of his life was cruely snatched by the one man in this universe that wants him dead. He wondered if Taeyong was okay, if Junmyeon had hurt him. Jaehyun gripped the arms of the seat he was in tightly. If Junmyeon even  _thought_ about hurting Taeyong, Jaehyun was going to kill him with no mercy. He chuckled to himself like a madman. He was going to do that, anyway.

"Jaehyun!" Johnny called. Jaehyun snapped out of his revoir and sat up.

"Yeah?" He asked. Jaehyun rubbed his chin. It had been a while since he shaved, he could feel hair growing on his face. He reasons that when he was in Taeyong's care on Gaea, that got done routinely.

"We're about to pull over for a pit-stop. Xiao is gonna explain what she knows. Are you okay?" Johnny asked, taking his friend's hand in his. Jaehyun looked at Johnny, and he sighed.

"I'm not okay if I'm going to be honest with you. But, I can collect myself. I can do this. I have to do this, for Taeyong. I will get him back." Johnny nodded, slipping his hand out of Jaehyun's and patting his thigh.

"C'mon. We're gonna re-fuel and talk." Jaehyun and Johnny stepped off of his ship, and Lucas and Jungwoo weren't far behind.

"He's still angry." Lucas whispers to Jungwoo.

"Rightly so. Junmyeon fucked him over...again." Jungwoo said, holding Lucas' hand in his.

"How are we ever going to fix this?" Jungwoo sighed and squeezed Lucas' hand, following Johnny.

"By telling the truth. All of it. And getting Taeyong back." Jungwoo said. Lucas nodded and followed him. Yuta, Sicheng, and Luhan stepped off their ship, and Luhan loudly stretched.

"Sitting in a ship for three days constantly is  _so_ uncomfortable!" He whined. Sicheng flicked his ear.

"It's not about being comfortable. We're here now." Yuta followed Johnny, and he turned his attention to Jaehyun.

"You good, man?" Yuta asks. Jaehyun rolls his eyes.

"Everyone keeps asking me if I'm alright. I'm going to be fine." Jaehyun says, a small smile on his lips. He rubbed his eyes and Yuta started at him.

"Alright." He says, patting Jaehyun on the back hard. Jaehyun coughed, and Yuta along with Johnny began to laugh.

Zhi had his daughter Mina on his shoulders, Xiao right beside him. Xiao wasn't going to lie to herself, she was deeply troubled that Taeyong wasn't here. Taeyong was the one person she could vent to; the one person she trusted with that type of information. She looks at Zhi, and sees him pointing at something Mina's intrested in. She wonders how lucky she was to get this, but then she remembers what she had to do on Phobos to get here.

 _Hakyeon._ She wonders if he's okay. It's been a little time since then, and she has a longing to go back, to go see Hakyeon and clear things up herself. She knows she can't.

"Everything good?" Zhi asks. Mina looks down at Xiao with wide eyes, and Xiao smiles.

"I'm okay." She says. "We need to find a place to talk, I have to tell everyone the news." Hanbin and his crew aren't far behind Xiao, and Jinhwan sighs.

"Why are we following them again? We're done! We can go back to Eugenia!" Hanbin frowns.

"Are you stupid? We let the Petit-Prince know we failed, and we're dead. Either he or Junmyeon will kill us. I don't want to die, thank you." Junhoe nods.

"He's right. We have to stick with these people. We can help their cause, anyway. They helped us." Chanwoo smiles.

"Another adventure!" Jiwon laughs along with him and Hanbin rolls his eyes, trying to catch up with Xiao. Johnny find a spare room in the rest hall, and he quickly took it. Everyone filed in, and Jiwon was the last person in the room, shutting the door. Jaehyun taps the table in the room.

"Xiao. What do you have to tell us?" Xiao clears her throat.

"While all of you guys were fighting against Junmyeon, Zhi and I weren't caught up in that. I found a way to make it to the ship where I met a man named Minseok." Luhan's breath hitched.

"What did he say?" Luhan asked, frantic. Xiao smiles at him.

"Minseok said to tell you that he loves you." Luhan nods, tears forming at the corners of his eyes. Sicheng comforts him.

"Minseok also gave me some files. He said you guys would know what to with them. I looked through all of them, and Junmyeon has kept tabs on all of you even after your departure from Gaea. He had also kept tabs on Luhan, Yifan, and Zitao. Yifan's document places him at Lysithea two months ago, and Junmyeon believes he's...the ruler?" Luhan gasps.

"Ruler? Of a _planet?"_ Xiao nods, passing the document around.

"Well, I trust this because it came from him." Jaehyun said. "You were right to tell us to set our coordinates there." Xiao gave Jaehyun a small smile. Jaehyun turns to Lucas, who's on the other side of the room.

"Before all that crazy shit happened, you said you thought you had gotten rid of the necklace that Junmyeon was wearing. What is it. Don't test me, Lucas. I will not hesitate to hurt you." Jaehyun snapped, looking Lucas dead in the eyes. Lucas sighed and sat down. Time to spill everything.

"Look. I'm not a bad guy. I didn't want to tell you everything because I wanted you to remember on your own. During the battle on Gaspra, you guys were down on the planet while I was on the ship with Junmyeon. You guys knew I was hurt from the other mission, and I had witnessed something Junmyeon had done that shocked me to my very core."

 

_Lucas hobbled around the Gaean ship. He was put on rest because of his injury on Eros, and the doctors told him he could not help his friends at Gaspra on the battlefield. He would help them in any way he could though, and he saw Ten barking out orders with Kun by his side. Ten had told him to get some sleep, but he just couldn't do it knowing that everyone was in danger. He kept walking down the hallway, and he heard Junmyeon talking. Maybe he could say something to his superior, someone who might understand his predicament._

_"No. I don't know what to do with it. Tell me." Lucas was confused. What was Junmyeon talking about?_

**_"It is fueled by blood. Use your blood, and our power will flow through your veins. The gem is a Titan gem, and the necklace is just a vessel. Do this, and you will have the power you so deserve."_ ** _Lucas wanted to cover his ears. That voice was so horrific, something he'd never heard before. Lucas blinked. Titan?_

_"Thank you, Ketzi'ah." Junmyeon says. Lucas is seriously not understanding what's going on. He couldn't wrap his mind around what was happening. Titan? Was Junmyeon communicating with a Titan? Lucas pushed himself into a hiding spot against the hall where he had full access to see the door to Junmyeon's office._

**_"Don't thank me. You give us sacrifices, and then we will accept your gratitude."_ ** _Sacrifices? What the fuck had Junmyeon got himself into?_

_"What types of sacrifices do you want? We have animals." Junmyeon offers._

_**"Humans. Human souls. Titans feed off them. They're special compared to other souls."** Lucas willed himself not to scream. Junmyeon was making a deal...with a Titan?_

_"Humans, huh? Alright, very well."_

_**"Before our departure, I need you to get me a human soul. I need to know how committed to this you are. If you are not, then hand over the necklace now."** _

_"I will not. I'll get you a sacrifice." Junmyeon's office door opened, and he looked around. Lucas prayed to a higher power that he wouldn't be seen. Junmyeon stepped back in, and Lucas almost threw up at the sight. A Titan came out, and Lucas knew she had willed herself to be smaller to fit on this ship. Her skin was ash black and peeling, and she wore a black dress. It was cut around the chest area, and her nails were long and black. Her eyes were pure red, and her hair was jet black, put up into a bun at the top of her head. She had on red earrings, and a red necklace. Her nails scratched along Junmyeon's face._

_**"Fail me...and I will eat you."** Junmyeon took her hand in his and kissed her knuckles. Lucas wished he hadn't eaten before this. She smelled like smoke._

_"I will not fail you, Ketzi'ah. You will get a soul. And your people will recieve sacrifices." Ketzi'ah snapped her fingers, and a bright light shined around the space they were in. Lucas closed his eyes, and when he opened them, in Ketzi'ah's space was a woman with tan skin, long red hair, and she wore a red dress. Junmyeon smiled. "Shall we go, my lady?" Junmyeon asks, holding out his arm for her. Ketzi'ah smiles. It's wicked._

_"Let us go on." Lucas kept himself pressed into the wall, and he didn't move for another hour._

 

"After that, I tried my hardest to find out who the fuck he was going to sacrifice. His father passed away on that ship. No one knows how it happened. No one but you. Reason why you find me so sketchy is because I came into the room first after Junmyeon had beat you for dead. It was right after we got you back from the Titans. You stormed on the ship, not talking to anyone. You just headed straight to Junmyeon's office, and shut the door. No one wanted to bother you." Jaehyun is trying to put the pieces together. He couldn't for the life of him remember what he had learned from being kidnapped by the Titans.

"You believe Junmyeon...sacrificed his father?" Lucas nods. Jaehyun thought about it. It was plausable. His father was old and he was dying. Junmyeon would probably try and twist it saying he did it to spare his father pain.

"I whispered to Junmyeon that I had seen him with that Titan named Ketzi'ah. He got completely still. He didn't speak to me, but he locked me up along with you. You were taken to trial before me, but while I was locked up, I thought about what we would do. I figured he was either going to kill us or split us up. I had heard from someone while I was locked up about your sentence. You were supposed to be Chief, not Junmyeon despite Junmyeon's relation. You beat him in battle anyway, but I predict he himself set up Gaspra just to make sure you failed." Jaehyun furrowed his eyebrows.

"What was Gaspra, exactly?" 

"Gaspra actually had a threat for Titans, but at the same time, you and Junmyeon were going head to head for position of Chief. We had become Gaean soldiers, and you felt as if you could challenge Junmyeon. You guys had a fight about...a week before the Gaspra mission, and you won. Junmyeon had lost, bad. He put up another proposition about letting you lead your own mission, and you had agreed. Gaspra was where - in the eyes of the people - you had failed. Junmyeon became Chief afterwards, everyone split up, but I had struck a deal with Junmyeon." Jaehyun sat up.

"What deal?"

"He knew that I knew what he had done weeks before. I told him I would tell anyone who would believe me, and in Gaea, Junmyeon had some strong opposers. I told him I wouldn't tell if he let me stay on the planet, and work under him. I told him I wouldn't betray him, and at first I presume he really believed me. I was downright terrified of this man. He agreed, and I had one request. For Jungwoo to stay with me." Lucas turns to Jungwoo, tears on his cheeks.

"I didn't know he would _force_ you to be with me. I couldn't let you in on my plan because I needed him to trust me. For two years I did that man's bidding, but I also found out information about what all he did during Gaspra, and about that necklace. I wanted you to leave, to go on and have your own life, but it was my own selfishness that kept you with me. I'm sorry." Jungwoo nodded. He'd have a talk with Lucas, later. Jungwoo put his hands on Lucas' shoulders, rubbing them. Yuta took his turn asking a question.

"What is that necklace, and what exactly does it do?" 

"The necklace is a vessel, and it harness power from Planet X, the planet of Titans. I don't know to what extent how powerful it is, I just know Junmyeon gets drunk off of the energy. It has a prick at the top, and Junmyeon touches it, where his blood travels through it, and when it touches the gem on the inside, it glows. That's how he becomes one with that power. It's dark power, and Junmyeon believes it has no limitation. While I worked for him, I was never too clear on if he had relations with Ketzi'ah or any other titan again, for that matter." Johnny taps his chin. 

"Wait. You said the lady had red hair?" Lucas nodded.

"Holy shit. That woman was around during the fight!" Johnny exclaimed. "I saw her sitting beside Junmyeon's father the whole time, and I was joking with Doyoung that Junmyeon probably hit it one time." Everyone groaned at Johnny. 

"What? It was funny  _back then!"_ He exclaimed. Jaehyun put his hand up.

"So, our objective here is to talk to Yifan to find out more about Junmyeon, get this necklace from him and strip him of his power, get Taeyong back, and then find everyone else in our division." Lucas nods.

"That's the plan. I never wanted to hurt any of you guys, I was just-" 

"Save it. It's done and over with now.' Jaehyun says. "You know me. I'm not too keen on apoligies. Show me you care. Help us take Junmyeon down." Lucas nods, smiling.

"You got it."

They all hop back into their ships, and make the flight to Lysithea again.

 

"Isn't this just glorious?" One renegade soldier says.

"Just marvelous! The Chief is going to marry!" Another exlaims.

"But it's that Taeyong boy, the one who was on that mission that failed. He got stripped of his soldier title, and was demoted to a caretaker!" Another gossiped.

"Oh, you're right! But does that matter now? The Chief is happy, and it was revealed that he had loved that man since Taeyong was a trainee!" All three soliders gushed.

"I cannot wait for this wedding! This is going to be one for the books!" 

Taeyong was terrified.

"What? I can't get married to  _him!"_ Taeyong shouted. Kyungsoo shushed him.

"Please don't make a ruckus. I do not need Chief Junmyeon coming in here."

"He's gonna come in here anyway. Bride ran as soon as the news came." Jongin said, shaking his head. Taeyong nods and frowns.

"I'm gonna kill him." Chanyeol sighs.

"You think we would have let the bastard live ourselves? We're tired of being his advisors! No one can kill him! It's impossible!" Taeyong scoffed.

"He's not superhuman. He can die!" But thinking about it, he took his words right back. What happened on Ceres still shakes him to his very core. How was Junmyeon able to do that? They were on Gaea now, and instead of being at the Imperial Office for Gaean Soldiers, they were at Junmyeon's mansion, where he had guests for the announcement party. After the announcement of marriage, Taeyong ran right up the stairs and shut his door, almost passing out from how hard he was breathing. Soon, he heard knocks at his door, and opened it for Kyungsoo, Jongin, and Chanyeol.

Taeyong learned on the trip back to Gaea that he could trust his advisors. He was told of what Minseok did for everyone.

"He's a little superhuman." Jongin countered, shrugging his shoulders.

"They have a month. A month before I'm married to the one man I hate the most. God, I miss Jaehyun." Taeyong said, bursting into tears. Kyungsoo pulled out a hanky and handed it to Taeyong who dabbed his eyes.

"It'll be alright. They'll come and save you. Save all of us." Kyungsoo said, patting the man's shoulder.

Taeyong seriously hoped so.


	17. shí qī / 十七 (seventeen)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "How are we gonna find Yifan?" Hanbin looks at everyone smiling.
> 
> "Like I said. We surrender."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i based lysithea off of wakanda sue me i've watched black panther like 4 times

"Okay! So, I've looked over the customs of Lysithea, and it says here that they're not impartial to outsiders. If Yifan really is the ruler, I would understand that. Junmyeon is a threat." Luhan says. They're close to the planet, and they've stopped (in the middle of space) to talk before they fly into the atomsphere. Zhi, Hanbin, Johnny, and Yuta have all tapped into their feeds.

"We need to go on this planet ready to surrender." Hanbin says. "That's the only way we'll gain their trust. Or until Yifan sees any of you." 

"Sounds like a plan!" Yuta says. Before anyone else can talk, Yuta pushes his controls downward, and his ship zooms into the atompshere.

"What the fuck, Yuta!" Johnny yells. Yuta laughs while Sicheng and Luhan hold onto their seats for dear life.

"If you learned anything during our trainee days, you'd know that Jovian system planets have a hard atompshere to fly through! You have to push through to get through!" Yuta yells back. Johnny sighs, and proceeds to the do the same thing. Hanbin and Zhi aren't far behind him, and they all zoom through the atmosphere of Lysithea, until the turbulance stops and it becomes smooth sailing. 

"That wasn't so bad, was it?" Yuta asked.

"Shut up, please." Jaehyun barked over the feed, holding his stomach. As Jaehyun turns over to look out the window, he gasps. The land on Lysithea is beautiful. It's all grassland; and technologically advanced houses and buildings surround the grassland. Bridges as far as the eye can see weave over the land.

"Yifan did well for himself leading this planet." Jaehyun mutters. Johnny nods.

"Sure did." 

"We should land in that patch of trees right there. I think we can leave our ships there and they'll be unnoticed." Yuta says, swooping down. Everyone else follows him, and they gently land (well as gently as a ship can land). Everyone steps off their respective ships, and Luhan sighs.

"How are we gonna find Yifan?" Hanbin looks at everyone smiling.

"Like I said. We surrender." 

 

They walk into the mainland, all in a straight line. If anyone stops them, they'll explain on the spot. Even though Luhan was nice (thankfully), none of them were too sure how Yifan would act seeing any of them again. They all agreed that Luhan would be the first one to speak to him.

"Isn't it a little suspicious that we're walking in a straight line like a damn formation?" Jungwoo comments. Jaehyun shoots him a look.

"We want to get caught. Quit talking." Jaehyun snaps. Lucas gives Jaehyun a heated stare; he can't talk to Jungwoo like that.

"Watch it. You might not like us, but there has to be a level of respect." Jaehyun scoffs.

"Respect? I'll fully give you that when we get Taeyong back." Sicheng sighs.

"Come on, quit the fighting. Just face forward and walk." The conversation quiets after that, and the townspeople in Lysithea look at them with confusion. They're draped in wraps and vibrant patterend garb. Turbans and wraps alike adorn the people's heads, and they wear big wooden jewlery. Sandals grace their feet, or no shoes at all. Some have face paint on and some have piercings.

"When is someone gonna notice us and say something?" Jiwon mutters, still trekking on. Hanbin rolls his eyes.

"It'll happen. This is weird to see people like this...especially since we're the only people in full black here." They hear whispers among the people, and Jaehyun desperately wishes Taeyong was right behind him, telling him encouraging words in his ear. The feeling of missing Taeyong hits full force again, and he almost stops walking.

"Hey! Who are you?" Someone shouts at the end of the dirt road. It's three dark-skinned men wearing purple  _agbada_ robes. They had black paint adorning their face with white dots.

"We're travelers from planets ahead of this one. We wish to speak with your ruler." Hanbin shouts out. The man on the right scoffed.

"You request to speak with King Yifan?" Luhan giggled.

"Tell Yifan that Luhan wants to see him. He'll know who I am. He'll know who we are." Luhan says, stepping up to the front. The men in purple shake their heads.

"Sadly it doesn't matter that you know him. You have to prove your worth. Those are the rules here. Take them to the Falls. A duel must ensue." Sicheng gives a glare to Luhan.

"You didn't think to look _that_ up in your little guide?" He snips. Luhan stays quiet, looking at his feet. A girl in green robes smiled.

"This is perfect! Young Mark needs to fight someone to claim his place alongside Yifan! He's of age; we've been looking for an opponent for the longest!" Johnny turns to Yuta and Jaehyun.

"Young Mark? Wonder if that's _our_ Mark?" Yuta sighs.

"Seems like a stretch, but there's only one way to find out." Yuta gives a blinding smile and a thumbs-up.

"Yeah, we accept this challenge! Send this Mark guy at us."

 

"Taeyong, you haven't touched your food since we sat down." Junmyeon said, pointing at Taeyong's plate. They were at Govenor Namjoon's house, and Taeyong sighed. He fought Junmyeon the whole way. All of Junmyeon's advisors explained to him that publicity was crucial in this joining. The Chief and Leader of Gaea was finally going to have a spouse, and it was a big deal.

Taeyong could give two shits on how big of a deal it was. He didn't want to get married, and if Junmyeon wasn't going to call it off, Taeyong was going to make sure he didn't cooperate. Taeyong turned to Junmyeon and gave him a smile. On the outside, it looked sweet, but both Junmyeon and Taeyong knew it wasn't.

"Dear, I'm not all that hungry. Excuse me, it's not an insult to the food." Namjoon smiles, turning to his spouse Seokjin.

"It's quite alright. I understand that. Seokjin gets like that sometimes. So, when do you want to have the wedding?" Junmyeon smiled at Namjoon and Seokjin.

"We're going to have it in a month; springtime will be at it's prime then." Seokjin clapped his hands in excitement.

"How exciting! I wish you both the best of luck!" Seokjin says. Taeyong gives a pained smile and stares at the ring Junmyeon just about forced on his finger. They had identical silver bands, and when they got married a gold band would sit on top of those. Taeyong just had to wait until nighttime; then he could start his search. He knew something was different and off with Junmyeon ever since they left Ceres, and now that he was back on Gaea (it still felt weird to him after being gone for a while), he was going to find out exactly what it was.

He couldn't lie and say he wasn't scared of the outcome.

As soon as they stepped in the limo to leave Namjoon's house, Junmyeon turned to him.

"You need to work with me here." Taeyong scoffed.

"I'm not working with your ass. Let me go, I don't want to be married to you! You don't know love; you don't understand love." Junmyeon laughed.

"I've loved someone in my time before I loved you." Taeyong looked at Junmyeon with confusion and dissapointment.

"I was so nice to you after Luhan, Zitao and Yifan left. I tried to  _help_ you. What the fuck happened to you?" Junmyeon stilled.

"Don't say those names in my presence again." Taeyong could feel the tension rising. He ignored it.

"They loved you." Junmyeon put his knuckle to his mouth and bit on it.

"Luhan and Zitao both were idiots and Yifan..." Junmyeon got a wild look of hurt in his eyes and it  _clicked_ for Taeyong.

"You loved him." Taeyong whispers. "Why do you love me when you love  _him?"_ Junmyeon's eyes turned red and he hastily grabbed Taeyong, pushing him on the side of the limo. He wrapped his hands around Taeyong's neck and squeezed. Taeyong struggled against him.

"Don't you  _ever_ say such outlandish shit ever again, do you hear me? You're nothing but my bitch, but even bitches have to get put down to rest. Don't test me." Taeyong put his hands on Junmyeon's forearms, practically begging the man with his eyes to stop. Junmyeon let go after a second, and Taeyong heaved for air. Junmyeon smoothed down his tuxedo, and fixed his hair. Taeyong was coughing and crying; he knew there would be marks around his neck. Junmyeon scoffed.

"Tell everyone we got a little... _handsy_ in the limo if they ask." Junmyeon commanded. Taeyong found himself nodding. He needed Jaehyun to hurry to him  _now._ He didn't know how long he could hold out until he got himself killed. 


	18. shí bā / 十八 (eighteen)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I don't feel...hindered anymore. I can move, I can finally be. I can't give that up. I have to fight. Yifan is the only link we have at the moment that can give us some type of guidance about Junmyeon so I can get Taeyong back. If you don't think I won't do everything in my power to make sure that happens, then you don't know me." Yuta bit his lip.
> 
> "You cannot do too much with this. If you get yourself seriously hurt, I will kick your ass." Jaehyun gives a chuckle.
> 
> "Noted."

Mark was met with water poured over his head. 

"Rise and shine sleeping beauty!" Doyoung cried. Mark punched Doyoung in the arm and the man caved, rubbing said arm.

"What the hell?" Taeil looked at him while opening his blinds. Mark held his hands over his eyes squinting.

"Until we find someone worthy of taking you on so you can finally become a man, you're training today." Mark let out an annoyed groan. He was so  _done_ with that shit!

"Why? I have some business to attend to; I can't do that today. Tomorrow, though." Taeil scoffed.

"What business exactly?" Mark stilled, crossing his arms over his chest.

"It's nothing you or Doyoung need to know about!" Doyoung laughed.

"Just get up and get dressed. Meet us out on the training field before 8. If you're late, Taeil will send people after you!" Doyoung said, he and Taeil walking out of Mark's door. Mark sighed and plopped backwards on his wet bed.

What a day _he_ was going to have.

 

Mark, Doyoung, and Taeil had met each other a year ago on Lysithea by a strange turn of events. Taeil and Doyoung had landed on the planet hoping to find work, but they hadn't been able to pick up any. Some gems missing from an important official and a horrible conversation later, both Doyoung and Taeil were up for execution. Mark had put himself on Lysithea (after leaving the planet Aitne because he had lost a previous job) to work in the lysithean canals. It was a disgusting job, but it paid sort of well, and for a young guy like himself, that was good. He had to lie about his age, but he figured no one would really care, especially since he wasn't a native.

News of Taeil and Doyoung's execution had reached commoner's ears, and when Mark found out just who it was, he immediately left his job and went to save his friends. 

 

_Mark was dirty and wet with sewer water, but he rushed through the streets anyway, despite all the looks people were giving him. He could not let the two people who he'd been with for years be executed for such a petty crime. He didn't know when he'd get the chance to be with anyone from his division ever again. It was hard living out in the universe by himself. He missed his friends dearly, and he had just lost a job. This job working in the canals was something that was beyond gross, but it was a nice distraction from his thoughts._

_He all but pushed the guards out of the way to get inside of the palace. They were hot on his tail, but his adrenaline was pumping. He couldn't hear anything but the blood rushing through his ears, and his thoughts. He couldn't let them die. Once he got to the doors where the ruler resided, he burst through them and put his hands on his knees._

_"Don't kill them!" He yelled. "Don't! If they need to repay the debt, whatever that may be, I'll give you money from my job. I'll find them jobs as well, just don't kill them!" Mark was on the verge of tears. When he stood up and opened his eyes, he was met with the sight of Taeil, Doyoung, and Yifan?_

_"What the hell?" Mark screamed. Doyoung and Taeil smiled and all but tackled Mark to the ground, hugging him. Yifan smiled looking at his former trainees._

_"We'll get this issue solved. It's good to see you guys again." Mark had never really seen or heard about the ruler of Lysithea._

_"Y-you're the ruler here?" Mark asked, confused. Yifan smiled._

_"It's a long story as to how I am, but I am." Taeil looked at Yifan._

_"We've only got time. You can tell us."_

 

"Keep your head up, Mark." Taeil instructed. Mark almost chucked his shield at Taeil's head. He was so fucking tired of this man telling him everything.

"Yeah, I get it. Keep your head up, don't die in battle, blah, blah." Doyoung snorted from the sidelines watching.

"Don't get snippy. He's just trying to help." Mark laughed.

"He's getting on my last fucking nerve." Taeil's eye twitched.

"Alright. Get hurt in battle. See if I give a shit." Mark knew he hit a nerve. Taeil still had nightmares about Gaspra this whole time. 

"Hey wait, I'm sorry." Mark says. Taeil turns around, hurt in his eyes. 

"Alright. Now go again." Doyoung was standing around the gate of the training field with a woman named Amber by his side.

"Who the fuck are they gonna get to challenge him? Despite how big of a hardass Taeil is with training, he's one of the best Lysithea has seen." Amber comments. Doyoung sighs.

"It can't be any of us...I'm not too sure. Yifan knows, and he's looking for applicable candidates." Amber nods her head.

"His fight will be intresting." Doyoung chuckles in agreement. As Taeil and Mark keep sparring, guards in purple robes come up to Doyoung and Amber.

"Where is Young Mark?" They ask. Amber furrows her eyebrows.

"He's training...is something the matter?" The guards look at each other.

"We've found some outsiders and you know the rules, they must prove their worth. They seem strong, and Mark is to battle one of them for his place alongside Yifan." Doyoung claps his hands.

"Taeil! Mark!" Doyoung yells. Mark is sweating, but he looks up.

"Yeah?" 

"Get your ass over here! You've finally got an opponent!" 

 

They were in the palace where Yifan resided. The men in purple robes at put them in a room, and Jaehyun was sure the door locked from the outside.

"So, who's going to fight?" Chanwoo asks, looking around. No one volunteers. Jaehyun steps up.

"I'll fight." Johnny gives an exasperated sigh.

"There you go, being the fucking martyr that you are. You have  _no_ _idea_ who they're going to give you. It could be the biggest guy ever, who the fuck knows? Whether you realize it or not, you were in a coma-like state for two years, except you could move around...I'm not explaining that well, but you get what I mean. You haven't done any heavy things on your body for a long time, yet you just fought an emperor and a crazed maniac on two different planets. You need to give your body a break!" Jaehyun looked away from Johnny.

"I'm overcompensating, I know. It's just...I haven't done anything for two years. I barely knew who I was. You've all been out and you've had your memories, and you've lead your lives despite how big they changed. I couldn't do that. I feel like I can finally do things again. I don't feel...hindered anymore. I can move, I can finally  _be_. I can't give that up. I have to fight. Yifan is the only link we have at the moment that can give us some type of guidance about Junmyeon so I can get Taeyong back. If you don't think I won't do everything in my power to make sure that happens, then you don't know me." Yuta bit his lip.

"You cannot do too much with this. If you get yourself seriously hurt, I will kick your ass." Jaehyun gives a chuckle.

"Noted." The door swung open and a lightskinned woman with curly black hair in blue robes looked at them.

"My name is Ode. We have to get the opponent ready." You all may watch outside." She says. Yuta sighs.

"This is Phobos all over again. Didn't think it'd happen this soon, though." Xiao nods.

"Tell me about it." Jaehyun follows her, his friends trailing behind him. Jungwoo turns to Lucas.

"I hope he stays safe." Lucas nods.

"Nothing can happen to him. He's the one who's going to get us all out of this mess."

 

He had on a animal mask; horns adorned the sides. He had on tribal paint, and he was shirtless, chain still hanging around his neck. He wouldn't take it off for anything; he hasn't taken it off for anything. Now that Taeyong wasn't with him, it was even more important to him. He had a spear and a shield, and the mask had little slits for the eyes, nose, and mouth. People from all different tribes in Lysithea were surrounding the Falls. Jaehyun notes they were separated by color. Some of his friends were waiting on the bottom rocks, and they looked worried. A man in a yellow robe who had a shaved head came up and hit a drum.

"Every person on Lysithea, we have outsiders who want to speak to our very own King Yifan! They came and surrendered, but they do not know the customs!" The people screamed, and Jaehyun almost scoffed at the parallels with this.

"Our own Young Mark needs to have his battle ceremony so that he may be alongside Lord Yifan, and this battle will determine that!" Some of his friends (Johnny, Yuta, Lucas, and Zhi) circled the battlefield - which was in water by the way - along with some other guards. Ode had explained to them that if a person gets knocked down, the opposing person's guards circle in on them, pushing them closer to the edge. Whoever falls over the edge is the loser.

Jaehyun would not be the one to die. He could hear all his other friends talking to each other, and the man on the drum began to beat it in a rhythm. The other boy came out, and Jaehyun swore he could recognize him. He had a baby-ish face, and he had curly blonde hair. He had tribal paint adorning his whole body, and the people full out cheered for him. Jaehyun shook his shoulders and assumed a stance. It was now or never.

Mark was thrown a spear and a shield and he stood in front of Jaehyun.

"Listen, I don't wanna knock you over, but I gotta knock you over, y'know? I know you wanna talk to Yifan about whatever, but I need this." Jaehyun stayed quiet. He didn't need a sap story; they all had theirs. Yuta turned to Johnny. They all had on masks as well.

"Holy fucking shit, that's Mark!" Johnny cries. Yuta shakes his head.

"Damn, how do we tell him that's Jaehyun in there?"

"Does Jaehyun  _know_ that's Mark? He could have a hard time remembering. There's no way we can get to him in time. We'll just have to play this out." Mark assumed a position as well, and the man by the drum beat it three times in successsion. Everyone became quiet.

"The battle will begin in 3...2...1!" He began drumming in rhythm, and all the people cheered. Jaehyun watched as Mark circled around him. He could  _swear_ he's seen this guy before. Before he could even try and gather where he could have seen him at, Mark ran up to him and jumped up, throwing his body in the air to use his feet to kick Jaehyun straight in the chest. Jaehyun fell backwards and hit solid rock and water. Mark's guards closed in on him more, and he touched the back of his head. His hand was red. It was blood.

He stood up and charged at Mark with no finesse. He hit the man with his shield, and he could tell Mark was thrown off-balance. Mark looked at him with wild eyes, and they began to spar. Jaehyun ultimately knocked him down with a clock to the side of Mark's head with his shield. Mark hit the ground on his side, and Jaehyun's guards closed in on him. 

"Fuck!" Mark exclaimed. He hopped back up and ran at Jaehyun, and they began to spar again. Both of them got nicked with their spears, and blood ran down their body but neither paid any mind. The drive to not die was pushing them on. Jaehyun had just about enough of this dumb mask. He could barely focus on Mark's movements; he was just relying on their close proximity. He backs up far enough and rips the mask off. When he does, everything's clearer.

"Oh thank god!" Jaehyun exclaims. Mark doesn't do anything. He just looks at Jaehyun. He throws his spear and shield down. 

"J-Jaehyun? Is it really you?" Mark whispers. Jaehyun walks to Mark and looks at him, he  _really_ looks at him. 

He would think after all this time he'd be used to the way the memories rush, but he isn't. He sees Mark at the Imperial Office with him, he sees himself teasing the kid. He sees himself helping the kid grow, and he sees the way he breaks down at the trial.

 _"Mark."_ Jaehyun whispers. Mark's crying, and he embraces Jaehyun.

"I-I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I wouldn't have fought you if I- If-" Jaehyun ran his hands through Mark's wild curls.

"Shh. It's okay. You didn't know. I didn't know either. Memories are fickle these days." Jaehyun says, giving a dry chuckle. Mark can't even laugh with him; he's too happy to have Jaehyun back. He pulls back and turns his head. He wasn't noticing, but he sees many other members from his divison as well. Jaehyun's guards take off their masks, and he's even more suprised.

"Everyone's here! Holy shit!" Mark exclaims. "Fuck this fight, we're taking you all to Yifan right now." Mark marches right through the pass, holding Jaehyun's wrist. 


	19. shí jiǔ / 十九 (nineteen)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I cannot believe this...if anyone in Gaea found out..."
> 
> "He'd be dethroned completely." Minseok retorts. Taeyong gives a smile.
> 
> "Then let's get his ass dethroned."

Nights at Gaea were where Taeyong felt he could be truly free. Junmyeon stuck to a schedule where he was in his room around 9:30, and even Taeyong couldn't visit him. He never came out, and Taeyong was grateful for that. Nights were where Taeyong started meeting with Junmyeon's advisors to talk.

"I can't sneak into his room during the day, he never leaves me alone!" Taeyong said bitterly, rubbing his neck. The fingerprints were still a little evident, and he could just kill the man for it if he didn't fear what sadistic torture Junmyeon would put him through.

"That's true. He doesn't trust anyone." Taeyong sighs, sipping on the wine Yixing brought.

"Why does he love me exactly? This isn't love at all." Minseok looks around.

"Did anything happen before Gaspra between the two of you? Anything that could have sent Junmyeon mixed signals?" Taeyong wracked his brain for an event, and when he found one, he took a long gulp of wine.

"There was one I guess he could have taken out of context..." Jongin snorted.

"Do tell." Taeyong looked at him and began to speak.

 

_Everyone all around Gaea who wasn't living under a rock knew about Yifan, Zitao, and Luhan's departure. Junmyeon had become quieter, barking orders at everyone. The 127 Divison had a meeting in their quarters one night._

_"You need to talk to him." Yuta says, picking through a drawer for a pack of cigarettes. Lucas groans in agreement._

_"I want him off my ass!" Mark nods._

_"You should. He likes you the most. He fucking hates Jaehyun." A chorus of laughter surrounds the dorm, and Jaehyun rolls his eyes._

_"Even though I don't like to agree with those idiots...it's true. He likes you the most. Talk to him." Taeyong turned to him confused._

_"You want me talking to another man?" Jaehyun snorts._

_"I don't expect anything to come from that. Junmyeon isn't even gay. Probably." Sicheng nods from his top bed. They all slept in bunk beds._

_"That's nasty!" He exclaims, scrunching his nose. Ten eyes Taeyong warily._

_"Junmyeon isn't known to be the nicest person. I say stay careful. If anything happens, tell us right away. Promise?" Taeyong looked in Ten's eyes. He wasn't kidding._

_"I promise." Taeyong says, standing up._

_He figured he could find Junmyeon in the sparring area. He was right, as Junmyeon was kicking the crap out of a dummy. His foot kept striking it, the sound deafening in the room._

_"Hey!" Taeyong yells. Junmyeon stops punching his bag and turns around._

_"Why aren't you asleep yet?" Junmyeon asks, soft. Taeyong stared at Junmyeon suprised. He hasn't heard the man talk like that...ever._

_"I've been watching you for the past few days, and you don't seem okay. I know you're my superior and that i'm just a trainee, but...if you have anything you would like to talk about...I'm here." Junmyeon sat down on the mat, and Taeyong stood in his place, not knowing if it was okay for him to approach Junmyeon. Junmyeon ultimately patted the space next to him, and Taeyong crouched down._

_"They didn't understand me. They didn't understand the vision I had for Gaea, the vision I had for the whole galaxy, damnit." Taeyong turned his head towards Junmyeon._

_"And that vision was?"_

_"That we become a better people." Taeyong wasn't happy with the vague answer, but he figured it was all he was going to get._

_"Maybe change is for the best. That sounds like some generic shit; but the most generic shit is the truest." Taeyong offered. Junmyeon gave a slight chuckle._

_"That's true." They both looked around in the room, the atmosphere weird; neither of them wanted to put a name on it. Junmyeon had to be well aware of Taeyong's relationship with Jaehyun, right?_

_"Y'know you're the only one who came up to me to ask how I was doing? Everyone else just...fucking left me alone. They didn't ask. They don't care. They just want me to lead this damn planet and that's it."_

_"You're very hard to approach, but I can tell you people are wonderng how you're doing." Taeyong tells Junmyeon. Junmyeon sighs._

_"They never ask. No one asks. My own father doesn't even ask. He's too busy handling planetal affairs to even check up on how his only son is doing." Taeyong bit his lip. Fuck, daddy issues._

_"Well, I'm sorry about that." Taeyong didn't know what else to say. He wasn't sure if he could say anything else; talking to Junmyeon was like walking on thin ice._

_"Thank you for asking...I appreciate it." Junmyeon turned to look at him. He started to lean in, and Taeyong stood still. He didn't know what to do. Junmyeon gave him a little peck on the cheek and stood up, his cheeks burning._

_"Jaehyun isn't perfect, y'know. I know you all are close to becoming Renegades, but he isn't everything. Remember that." Taeyong knew better than everyone that Jaehyun wasn't perfect._

_"What do you mean by that?" Taeyong asked, confused that Junmyeon would even say that._

_"You...you're something else." Junmyeon said cryptically, walking out of the sparring area._

 

"Woah. He kissed you on the  _cheek?"_ Jongin questioned. Taeyong took another sip of wine.

"Yes. I didn't tell anyone else in my division about it because at the time, it didn't seem all that significant." Minseok rolled his eyes.

"He literally dissed the hell out of Jaehyun. That didn't bring up warning bells?" Taeyong put his face in his hands.

"Listen! I was a stupid kid back then!" Chanyeol bit his lip.

"I wish there was a way we could get into contact with them right now." Kyungsoo looked up from his tablet.

"Maybe there is. Minseok, since you gave them the files, where do you presume they could be going right now?" Minseok shrugged his shoulders.

"They could either be going to Lysithea since about three people from their division reside on that planet along with Yifan, or they could be going to Dione because some other people from that division were placed there a few months back." Taeyong sighed. Those planets were days - maybe even a weeks - away from Gaea; they didn't have time to waste.

"The only way I see us getting into contact with one of them is if we contact Yifan." Baekhyun shook his head.

"We can't do that. Every damn time the Universal Confrence happens, Junmyeon goes out of his way to make sure he avoids Yifan. How the fuck did he even become the ruler of Lysithea, anyway?"

"He was in a coup d'etat. He helped lead the people of Lysithea in overthrowing their tyrannical dictator. Yifan was declaired a hero, and they made him king." Taeyong whistled.

"Wow. King. Lysithea is good in planetary stocks though." Jongin snorted.

"And Junmyeon is always piss mad about it." Taeyong tapped his chin in thought.

"He was obviously in love with Yifan. Something had to have happened. What was it, exactly? I would assume it would have been the hardest on Yifan to leave. He was older than Junmyeon after all. But he worked under him." 

"Age doesn't matter when your dad is Chief." Chanyeol said, chiming in. 

"Junmyeon did change. I don't know the specifics, but I know with whatever he was planning or talking about, Zitao, Luhan, and Yifan did not agree, so they left. Now he's bat-shit crazy, and he has that wack ass necklace. I can't even take a sample from it; he guards that thing with his  _life."_ Kyungsoo says, shaking his head.

"It should be time for Ketzi'ah to come. Isn't it sad? Junmyeon's a weird fuck, but he still gets hot girls at his door." Taeyong furrows his eyebrows.

"Who is that?" 

"This one advisor that comes from some planet or another, she's sorta insignificant. She's been with us for a while though; she was there when Jaehyun and Junmyeon had that fight." Taeyong scowled.

"Jaehyun won that fight. He should have been crowned Chief right there on the spot." 

"Well we all know Junmyeon's a sneaky bitch." Jongin said, giving a dry chuckle. Taeyong stands up.

"That's it. Tomorrow I'm getting you a sample from that necklace." Chanyeol looks at him.

"How're you gonna do that?" Taeyong gulps.

"I'm gonna have to resort to drastic measures."

 

Taeyong woke up and marched straight to Junmyeon's room. He knocked on the door and waited. Junmyeon came to the door and opened it, shirtless and wet. Taeyong presumes he just finished with a shower. He had scars on his torso and back from battles he's fought in, and the coveted necklace was around his neck. Good. Taeyong had tried to look appealing, he only wore a robe and had his hair ruffled up. The robes had pockets and he had a wipe and a small plastic bag. Kyungsoo had instructed him on what to do with it.

 

_"You need to swipe it over the part where he slides his finger over it. That will give me the status of his blood, and whatever the hell is in that necklace."_

 

"You're up early. Why are you at my door? Shouldn't you be out gossiping with my advisors?" Junmyeon asked dryly. Taeyong pouted his full lips and sighed.

"I should...but I came up here because we need to talk." Junmyeon opened his door enough so Taeyong could slip in. 

"What do you want to talk about? Choose your words carefully." Junmyeon's brown hair was slicked back, and if he wasn't such a crazed asshole, Taeyong would say he was attractive.

"Um, I just wanted to speak with you on the arrangements of our wedding. If I'm being forced to marry you, I at least want it pretty. If I'm distracted with that, I won't cause a ruckus, will I?" Taeyong questions. Junmyeon looks him up and down.

"Fine. Let me dry off. You interrupted me." Junmyeon walks out of the room, and Taeyong frantically looks for the necklace. He sees it residing on Junmyeon's bedside, and he quickly runs to it, looking at it. He picks it up and flips the top and sure enough, there's a part with dry and crusted blood in it. Taeyong reaches for the wipe, takes a clean sweep, and places it in the plastic bag. Once that's done, he puts the necklace down and backs away quickly, tapping his foot. Junmyeon came out, rubbing his neck with a towel.

"Took you long enough." Taeyong muttered. Junmyeon sighed.

"I'll look into it. You can leave now." Taeyong had just about enough from this man. He walked up to him and placed his hands on Junmyeon's chest. He could feel Junmyeon's heartbeat pick up.

"Y'know you won't win, right? Whatever you're doing...whatever you're  _planning..._ you won't win. Jaehyun will win. Believe that." Taeyong whispered, stepping back and closing the door to Junmyeon's room. He could practically feel the man's anger radiating off of him.

 

"Here's the sample." Taeyong says, handing it to Kyungsoo. Chanyeol whistles.

"You really did it. You got guts." He says. Taeyong gives a small smile. Kyungsoo swipes it onto a slide and sticks it under a microscope. He peers at it for a while, and he's quiet.

"Holy shit...holy  _shit."_ Kyungsoo says, panicked. "Minseok, look at this!" Minseok rushes over and looks at the microscope as well.

"What the fuck..." Minseok mutters. 

"What?" Taeyong asks. He doesn't like the sound of this. Kyungsoo takes off his glasses and rubs his hands over his face. Minseok closes his eyes.

"Junmyeon is way more dangerous than any of us thought. Looking at this sample...his blood is mixed with...with  _Titan energy."_ Taeyong's blood runs cold.

"So, the reason he can do what he can is because...he's taken power from Titans? One of the most destructive beings in this universe? Is he fucking insane?" 

"Yes, obviously." Jongin comments dryly. Taeyong begins to laugh hysterically.

"How long has he done this? Who the fuck else knows? Shit-" Taeyong stops. "This is why Yifan, Luhan, and Zitao left. Because they had to have found out about this." 

"Junmyeon didn't have that necklace when they were here. He 'picked it up' on a trip years ago." Yixing comments. 

"Then he must have been plotting to get it then. They found out somehow, and they left." Taeyong says rushed. "I cannot believe this...if anyone in Gaea found out..."

"He'd be dethroned completely." Minseok retorts. Taeyong gives a smile.

"Then let's get his ass dethroned. Junmyeon has serious opposers. We can do work while we're here. I know someone who can help us."

"Who?" Jongin asks.

"His name is Kim Heechul."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heechul's back i told you he would be


	20. èr shí / 	二十 (twenty)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Yeah, about that, what happened between you two? It's kind of important to know if we're going to defeat him or whatever." Yifan eyes Yuta and gives a grim smile.
> 
> "A tragic love story is what it is."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> finally you get to see the story between yifan and junmyeon my krisho loving ass could not resist

Yifan was shuffling through papers when Mark bursts through the doors of his study. He wasn't alone.

"Yifan! Yifan!" Mark yells. Yifan sighs. He doesn't need Mark's antics right now.

"Mark, please go bother Taeil with this. He'll want to hear it." Yifan knows in the back of his mind that Taeil  _won't_ want to hear it, but better Taeil than him. Mark rushes into his room wet.

"Mark what the- why are you  _wet?"_ Mark rolled his eyes.

"I had my challenge today!" Yifan curses. He was supposed to be there for that, but he's been dealing with economic affairs. 

"I'm sorry I missed it. Did you win?" 

"It was a draw." Mark says blankly. Yifan furrows his eyebrow. People come up behind Mark, and Yifan looses his breath for a second. He sees the people he trained on Gaea, and he sees  _Luhan._

"Lu?" Yifan asks in shock. Luhan smiles.

"Hello, Fanfan." Luhan says. Yifan stands up and makes his way around everyone, hugging them. Yifan's taller than most everyone in the room, and when he stops in front of Jaehyun, he sighs.

"I heard about your sentence. Word passed around. I deeply apoligize for that bastard's actions." Jaehyun hugged Yifan.

"It's fine. I'm killing him, anyway." Yifan gives a pained exhale.

"I guess the time would come for the love of my life to be executed." Yuta interrupts.

"Yeah, about that, what happened between you two? It's kind of important to know if we're going to defeat him or whatever." Yifan eyes Yuta and gives a grim smile.

"A tragic love story is what it is."

 

_Junmyeon was a cold hard ass, but Yifan loved him anyway. He knew Junmyeon loved him too, if their nightly escapades and hushed words were anything to go by. Yifan was older than Junmyeon, yes, but Yifan didn't want to become Chief. He knew no one stood a chance with Junmyeon being the son to the current one. Yifan was training the trainees, and one gained his intrest. His name was Jaehyun. Yifan could see he gained the intrest of Junmyeon too, but not in a good way._

_"You don't have to be jealous or worried, y'know. He isn't going to take your place." Junmyeon bristled._

_"Fuck do you mean? No one's jealous." Yifan snorted._

_"Yeah, alright." Junmyeon gave it good to him that night for his "smart mouth", and Yifan was totally okay with that. Months following he knew Jaehyun still bothered Junmyeon; the kid was strong beyond belief. He had the resolve of an ox, and Yifan was proud to say Jaehyun was training under him. Junmyeon began to get cold and distant - more so than he already was. He'd spend nights holed up in his private study, and not even Yifan would be let in. He'd be wired, jittery, and snappy. Yifan didn't understand it._

_One night when they were wrapped up under covers in Yifan's bed sweating after strenuous activites, Junmyeon asked Yifan a question._

_"Don't you think I deserve it? I worked hard to take the spot of my father, I'm his son. I deserve it. No one should take it from me, right?" Yifan gives Junmyeon's head a kiss._

_"With all the training you put in for this, you do deserve it. Work hard to get it." Yifan whispers. He feels Junmyeon cuddle into him more, and he smiles._

_Yifan wishes he chose his words more carefully. After he, Zitao, and Luhan learned about Junmyeon's activites, Yifan was livid. Zitao was too, but Luhan was quiet and sad._

_"I can't believe he would do this! What the hell! We need to tell everyone right now!" Zitao screams. Yifan has his head in his hands, trying to ignore Zitaos yelling. He's angry too - angry beyond belief that his own boyfriend would do this - but he didn't want to hear that right now. Luhan exhaled._

_"We need to leave." He simply says. Yifan looks up at him._

_"Leave?" Luhan nods._

_"This isn't our fight to win. He's dealing with something that could kill any of us. We're not cut out for this. We need to leave." Yifan's heart broke at the thought of leaving Junmyeon. That was the man he loved; the man he wanted to share a life with. Zitao nodded._

_"Let's get the fuck outta here. I can't deal with his ass anymore." Zitao says. Yifan sobs._

_"Just let me talk to him one more time. Please." Zitao and Luhan nod at him. He makes his way to Junmyeon's study again, and he walks in the door, not really feeling anything. Junmyeon looks at him with hope._

_"So you hear me out? I'm not trying to do anything too drastic, we could actually learn from them and maybe see why they want to harm the way they do. Maybe if we teach them things, they can teach us things and the both of us could evolve as races in this universe!" Things looked blurry because of the tears in his eyes, but he sniffed._

_"You...that's your reasoning? Just gonna forget all the bullshit you said before? You're a selfish, entitled asshole. I can't believe I fell in love with you." Yifan spits out. Junmyeon's eyes portray hurt._

_"You don't mean that." Yifan wipes his eyes with his hands._

_"I do. I mean every word." Junmyeon scowls._

_"Get out." Yifan walked towards the door._

_"Gladly."_

 

Yuta whistled. "That's some hardcore stuff right there." Luhan looked at Yifan and sighed.

"We were fucking cowards. We should have done something; said something...I don't know. But we can fix this now. By working with them." Yifan bit his lip.

"I don't want to associate myself with anything concerning him anymore." Luhan gave Yifan a look.

"Doing that got us into this mess, didn't it? It's about high time we step up and fix it. Junmyeon's caused too much damage to too many people. Gaea is living under a sadistic ruler they don't even know about who's sacrificing people for power! Sacrifices, Yifan!" Yifan furrows his eyebrows.

"Sacrifices? He's killing his own people?" 

"He's sending them off to be killed. A Titan named Ketzi'ah comes and I presume they kill humans...and the Titans eat their souls. Weird, horrific shit." Lucas says. Jaehyun steps up towards Yifan again.

"He's killing innocent people in Gaea; he's killing his  _own._ It isn't even about what he did to me or to you anymore. We were innocent, we bared the pain he caused but we  _survived._ People are dying for no reason at all just because of his power-hungry urges. I can't let that happen anymore. Will you help us?" Yifan pierces Jaehyun with a serious stare.

"Getting Lysithea involved with your plan would cause a galactical war. It's inevitable. Allies of Lysithea under a universal obligation would have to help." Yifan states plainly. "But...you've convinced me. I want to make the wrongs right again. The planet Lysithea will aid you on your quest. I've been in a coup before; I know how this goes. I should get into contact with Zitao again." Luhan scoffs.

"You've been in contact with Zitao?" Yifan nods.

"For a little while now. He has some people of your division with him: Ten and Kun?" Johnny stepped up, frantic. Xiao watched Johnny holding Mina in her arms with intrest. She knew Johnny held feelings toward Ten, but to what extent?

"What planet? Tell me now." Johnny begs. 

"Dione. I don't know what reason, but that's a technologically advanced planet. They're not very friendly...I don't know how you expect to get them out of there." Jaehyun scoffs.

"That won't be a problem. We always find a way." From the back of the room, Junhoe sighs.

"Onward to another planet!" He says, waving his hand in the air.


	21. èr shí yī / 二十一 (twenty-one)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You've all banded together here because you don't like him. Stand with me, work with me and the people I have on the inside and we can take him down once and for all! We can make Gaea a planet like it was when Junmyeon's father was in office; one that we can all be proud of!" Roars of agreement and dedication sound, and Taeyong can't do anything but smile.

Taeyong was able to leave Junmyeon's house only if he had Junmyeon's advisors with him. Taeyong was fine with that.

"Be back at a reasonable hour." Taeyong pulled his shawl up over his shoulders.

"Alright,  _dad."_ Taeyong quipped, Kyungsoo right behind him. Junmyeon didn't comment after that and Jongin shivered.

"The way he shows absolutely no emotion gives me the creeps." He says, shaking his head. They all load into a car and drive off. Kyungsoo pulls up something on his tablet, and presses a button. A clicking sound is heard and Taeyong gives Kyungsoo a confusing look.

"Junmyeon keeps mics in all his cars. If you thought you were safe, you aren't. I just disabled them. We're in the clear. Good thing we convinced him Sehun could drive." Sehun gave a salute from the front seat.

"Happy to aid the force that's gonna take that pompus bastard down." Taeyong chuckles at that and Minseok pulls out some documents.

"Based on the sample you got us, he's powerful - incredibly so. You couldn't take him on your own, not even in a group setting. It needs to be an all out uprising. We're going to see this Heechul guy?" Taeyong nods.

"It has to just be me that gets out. If he sees any government officals, he'll bolt. Stay in the car, let me take care of this. He does under the table jobs for people. He was the one who aided Jaehyun and I getting out of this place." Chanyeol raises his eyebrows.

"Oh, he's good." Taeyong nods.

"The best." It takes a little bit going to the Western side of Gaea, and when they arrive at the hideout Taeyong remembers, he steps out. He stands out in the grassy field, and soon he sees Heechul's carrier flying overhead. Taeyong holds the bag full of money he told Yixing to get, and he makes his way up towards the all-familiar barn. The doors are open, and Taeyong knocks on one.

"Heechul!" He yells, looking around. He soon hears feet shuffling, and Heechul comes out. He's riddled with dirt, and he has cuts on his arms. His eyes widen when he sees who it is.

"Taeyong? What the hell are you doing back here?" Taeyong sighs.

"Junmyeon got me." 

"But not Jaehyun." 

"Not Jaehyun." Heechul lets out a big exhale.

"Thank god both of you aren't here. We have a chance. What do you need? Need me to get you out of here again?" 

"Have you not heard the news, Heechul?" Taeyong asks. Heechul shakes his head no.

"I've been doing another job. I just got back. What's happening?" Taeyong hesitates to speak. He doesn't like saying it.

"I...I'm going to be married to Junmyeon in less than a month." Heechul doesn't move for a second, but then he groans.

"That cannot happen. Jesus." 

"You're an opposer to Junmyeon, aren't you?" Heechul looks around.

"Yes. I work with the underground who heavily opposes him. Didn't tell you that the first time because I didn't know I would see you again. Didn't know it would get this serious." Taeyong sighs.

"I have government officals with me, I can't lie to you. But, trust me, they want Junmyeon gone, too. I swear it." Heechul bit his lip.

"Bring them in here." Heechul says with the wave of his hand. "I need to clean up, anyway."

 

After Heechul cleans off, Taeyong, Junmyeon's advisors, and Heechul all sit at a round table.

"The opposition is very powerful in Southern Gaea." Heechul says. 

"You know where the headquarters reside?" Kyungsoo asks. Heechul nods.

"Only Taeyong and I can go, though. If they see too many of you; they'll react harshly." Minseok nodded.

"That's fine. As long as the job gets done." Heechul smiles.

"Think of how good this will be. The fiance to the Chief of Gaea on the team with the opposition; all for the greater good of Gaea."

"I can't lie...it'll be solid with the public." Jongin mutters. Taeyong grins.

"I'll do it. Absolutely. Take me to the headquarters. Also Heechul, we have some information to show you reguarding Junmyeon."

"Lay it on me." Heechul says. Kyungsoo passes him a file, and Heechul reads it. His eyes widen by the end of it, and he sets the manila folder down carefully, making sure the file is in it.

"Oh my god. This...we have to go right now."

 

All this traveling was taking a toll on Taeyong's state. He feared they wouldn't be back in enough time to Junmyeon's liking. He scoffed. No change could happen being careful. Heechul glanced at Taeyong.

"When we get there, let me do the talking. When I introudce you, you let go of the information you and the advisors found, alright?" Taeyong nods, pulling his shawl over his mouth. Southern Gaea was more on the cold side; it snowed quiet often. No one knew exactly why Gaea had different climates like this, but it was something they didn't question. 

The headquarters was more like a compound, and Taeyong felt scared. Would they like him? Would they believe him? Would they just write him off and kill him?

"We just left the rest of them at the barn." Taeyong states. Heechul sighs.

"They would ultimately be killed by these people had they come." Heechul pulls his carrier into a field and stops it. They hop out and begin to walk. The closer they get, the more Taeyong feels himself sweating. A man with a gun is patrolling the area, and Heechul waves at him.

"Hey!" Heechul shouts. "Call a meeting! I got a visitor!" The man nods and runs off. Taeyong catches up to Heechul.

"Is this okay?" Heechul nods. 

"I called some people while you were asleep in the carrier. They're informed." Taeyong nods and proceeds to follow Heechul. Heechul takes them to a building where there are people bustling around. There was a stage, and Taeyong pulls his shawl up higher until it covers half of his face. You can never be too safe, he presumes. He leads them into a room where people are gathering. Heechul whistles.

"Hyunwoo!" He shouts. A tall, muscular man comes. He looks Taeyong up and down.

"Is this him?" Heechul nods. Hyunwoo sticks his hand out. Taeyong shakes it.

"It's good to have you on our side." Taeyong nods.

"Good to be here." Hyunwoo leaves, and Heechul points to a chair.

"Sit there. I'll introduce you." Heechul takes his position on the stage just as the last of the people file themselves in. 

"Hello everyone. I was brought in here because of information I was given by someone who you all wouldn't expect. He's endured more than anyone in this room can fathom, and do not be alarmed when you see who it is. The fiance to Chief Junmyeon, Taeyong." Heechul points to Taeyong, and Taeyong walks up to stand beside Heechul. Heechul moves so Taeyong can balance against the podium on the stage.

"Hello to you all. I'm here today because...because I can't take any more of the turmoil Junmyeon is bringing to this planet. Years ago on a mission, he broke my whole division apart, and put the only person I ever loved in a state where he couldn't remember anything. I had to be his caregiver if I didn't want to die. Junmyeon held marriage over my head all the time, but I knew if I took it, he would indefinitely kill Jaehyun." Taeyong takes a deep breath in; tears threaten to spill. The people in the crowd give sounds of shock. They quietly murmur to each other.

"Heechul helped Jaehyun and I escape, and we went around the universe doing crazy shit just to find our friends back. Junmyeon found us...and he took me back and forced me into marriage. I have no idea where my friends are or where Jaehyun is; I just know I'm due to marry the one man who I hate. The one man who is evil. Your Chief, your  _leader,_ has been sacrificing common people like you to  _Titans_ for energy just because he's power hungry! He's letting innocent people die for his own selfish reasons! I cannot undo the wrong that has been inflicted upon me, but for that to happen to innocent people like you; I cannot _stand it._ " There's a wave of disbelief that circles the room, and the people have their rapt attention on Taeyong.

"You've all banded together here because you don't like him. Stand with me, _work_ with me and the people I have on the inside and we can take him down once and for all! We can make Gaea a planet like it was when Junmyeon's father was in office; one that we can all be proud of!" Roars of agreement and dedication sound, and Taeyong can't do anything but smile. Heechul grabs a mic.

"You all will be given documents that show evidence of the claims Taeyong has made; no one takes them out of this compound!" Heechul sets his mic down and pulls at Taeyong's wrist.

"C'mon, star boy. You have to speak with the leader of the underground." Taeyong furrows his eye.

"Who's that?" Heechul points Hyunwoo. He's speaking with some other people.

"It's him."

 

"Now that you've gathered this information and it's legit, we'll back whatever plan you have right away." Hyunwoo says. He, his close team, Taeyong, and Heechul are sitting in a room with a big table. The door is closed. Taeyong taps his chin.

"We need to have a revolution. Only aristocrats and such favor Junmyeon, and that's only because the reforms he makes cater to them. The general public either feels fed up or indifferent towards him. If there are people who band together to display a public dislike for him, then other people who feel indifferent or even people who support him will have to choose a side." One man named Kihyun clears his throat.

"We need to get into contact with your supplyer from Dione. If we're really gonna do this, we need weapons, protective gear; the whole nine." Hyunwoo nods.

"I'll get into contact with Tao right away." Taeyong stilled. Tao. That was familiar.

"I'll accompany you." Taeyong says. Heechul puts his hand on Taeyong's arm.

"Hold on. You're an engaged man. You can't do that. Junmyeon will instantly know something's up. You have to be home soon anyway." Taeyong sighs.

"You're right. I think I have a public interview with him that I  _don't_ want to do." Another man named Changkyun sits up.

"What if something went haywire at that interview? What if you were kidnapped?" Heechul wagged his finger at Changkyun.

"Keep going with that idea."

"What if we create a little distraction, but while everyone's trying to figure out what exactly is happening, we kidnap him and take him to Dione with us? Tell Junmyeon he has to give up his position or come find Taeyong before we 'kill him'. It'll put him on the spot in front of the whole planet. We can put people in charge while we handle this. They can start protests, riots; get the public questioning his rule." Hyunwoo smiles.

"That's a good plan. I like it, but it's risky. If Junmyeon plays with the public's heartstrings and acts as the 'concerned fiance', then the people who want him in office will advocate for him even harder." 

"Going public with the information Taeyong found out would be risky as well. If we release the information while Junmyeon leaves to try and get Taeyong -  _if_ he even leaves -  Junmyeon can get people in the government make it look like the information was fake or like it was just a lie. It could backfire on us pretty quickly." Kihyun adds.

"If it gets released, he'll know someone's onto him. He could just start giving more people for sacrifices!" Changkyun counters. 

"Use it as a bargin. Say we'll release information on him that we know to the public, and that we'll kill Taeyong if he doesn't give up his title. Who would take it, though?" Hyunwoo asks. Taeyong thinks.

"I wish Jaehyun was with us. He'd take it immediately. The people I have on the inside are trying to contact him right now, but it's going slow. One of you all here will have to take it for the time being until Jaehyun claims his rightful place as Chief." 

"Should've been him all along." A boy with blonde hair named Jooheon murmured. "I saw the fight between Junmyeon and Jaehyun a few years ago. Jaehyun beat his teacher; he should have won. Myeong saw it too; Junmyeon probabaly undermined his father just to get the position. Then his father suddenly died, Jaehyun and your whole division had been labled as crazy after that insane mission at Gaspra, and Junmyeon had been seen as a strong hero after keeping Titans from inhabiting Gaea. That's how he became Chief. The public."

"If you wanna get anyone on your side, you have to show the public what you _want_ them to see. So this is the plan?" Heechul asks. Everyone nods.

"Time to get you home. We've got a big revolution ahead of us." 


	22. èr shí èr / 二十二  (twenty-two)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You just get Ten, Kun, and Zitao as fast as you can. Then head to Gaea. Now, we're all wanted there I presume, so however you get there do so carefully. We can't afford to have anyone get caught and put in jail." 
> 
> "You don't get put in jail while you're talking." Yuta scolds. "Stay safe, alright? Don't let this get to you." Jaehyun gives a grim smile.
> 
> "I'll try."

** PART FOUR: THE WAR THAT WILL BE WON **

 

 

+

 

 

It was a subtle shift. Jaehyun could feel it, and he tossed and turned in his bed. They were staying at Yifan's palace for a night before Yifan informed Lysithea of what was going to occur. Jaehyun sighed. Yes, when he was younger he wanted to be the Chief of Gaea, but looking at everything Yifan has to do, he thinks again. Does he really want to have that much power over people? He sees what it's done to Junmyeon. He doesn't want to end up like that in the future.

He doesn't want the power to get to his head.

Jaehyun quietly scoffs. Junmyeon was a self-entitled asshole since day one; he can say he truly wants to help people be the best they can be. Gaea's a planet he likes- loves even. He doesn't want to leave it behind after all this is over. It will be over. He will kill Junmyeon. Thoughts of how and when haunt him at night. Tonight is no different. He remembers even more now; he remembers who he used to be and how much he's changed. He knows he was someone who joked way more than he does now. He wonders if that ever takes a toll on everyone else, even on Taeyong. 

A tear slips from his eyes. If only he could return to the person he truly was all that time ago. He knows he can't; he's experienced too much. He's a changed man, no matter how cliche that sounds. Jaehyun reaches up to fiddle with the chain around his neck. Taeyong. It's been more than a week since he's seen the man and he gets more and more worried everyday. Because of how busy they've been with trying to find the rest of the division and getting answers, they haven't been checking on how things are in Gaea.

Jaehyun sits up and opens his door. He finds his way to Yifan's study and knocks on the door. Sure enough, the tall man opens the door and Jaehyun steps inside.

"I need to see a tablet or something that can update me on Gaea's news." Jaehyun states. Yifan nods, opening a drawer and pulling out a sleek tablet.

"Inform me on what you find." Yifan says. Jaehyun nods and goes back to his room. He opens the tablet and types in Gaea's biggest gossup forum. Looking at the legitimte news forums weren't gonna do him any good; he needed to hear what the citizens were talking about. That was where he could find some information.

Scrolling through the forum, he read the first article that popped up. Jaehyun's eyes widened, and he almost broke the tablet in two.

_Could it Be?: Chief of Gaea Kim Junmyeon and Redeemed Lee Taeyong Engaged!_

"That bastard. That sick bastard." Jaehyun whispered. He marched right to Yifan's study and all but slammed the tablet on the man's desk. Yifan slipped on his reading glasses (ignoring the outburst), taking a glance at the article. Yifan's eyes clouded over and he cleared his throat.

"Well. That's a very intresting development. One I don't think I could predict. What do you wish to do? Do you want to still go to Dione?" Jaehyun almost blurted out "fuck no", but he couldn't take the chance to see the rest of his missing division up. Not for him, the others, and especially Johnny. That wouldn't be fair in the slightest.

"No. We still have to go. But, I think I have a plan." Jaehyun says, thinking quickly.

"Do tell." Yifan says, clasping his hands together.

"As much as it pains me to say it," and it  _does_ pain him, "we have to split up again. I have to stop that wedding from happening. God, if only I could get into contact with Taeyong."

"I wish I could try, but that would be way too risky for Lysithea. I can't have that on this planet. Junmyeon would...he would go bat-shit crazy, excuse my langugage." Jaehyun nods in understanding.

"How would you split up?" Yifan asks. Jaehyun takes a seat in front of Yifan's desk.

"I'm thinking Lucas, Jungwoo and I all head back to Lysithea. There's a man by the name of Kim Heechul who might be able to help me. That's all I have to go on. I can't waste anymore time; I have to make sure Taeyong doesn't get married to a madman. I'm thinking I can also take Xiao, Zhi, Hanbin and his crew with me also. Everyone else - including you - can head to Dione to tell the news. Then we all regroup in Gaea." Yifan nods.

"Seems like the only plausable plan we have right now. It's the one we're going with. We'll inform everyone in the morning." Yifan says, shaking Jaehyun's hand.

"I'm sorry....about Junmyeon." Jaehyun says quietly. He doesn't even know if Yifan heard him.

"Me too, Jae." Yifan whispers. "Me too."

 

"So we have to split up again?" Sicheng says. He doesn't sound too happy about it. Yifan's gone with Ode to explain to the townspeople about the position Lysithea would be in while everyone else talked in the back.

"Yes. Taeyong's due to be married to Junmyeon way sooner than any of us want, and we have to stop it. Taeyong getting married to Junmyeon will signify he's won; and it would be harder for me to kill him and look good in the people's eyes. Half and half. Hanbin, Xiao, Zhi, Lucas, Jungwoo; you're all coming with me. The rest of you are going with Yifan." Everyone nods.

"I don't want to split up. We just got to see each other again." Taeil says quietly. Jaehyun knows Taeil's older than him. He misses the man's comforting talks. Jaehyun sighs.

"You just get Ten, Kun, and Zitao as fast as you can. Then head to Gaea. Now, we're all wanted there I presume, so however you get there do so  _carefully._  We can't afford to have anyone get caught and put in jail." 

" _You_ don't get put in jail while you're talking." Yuta scolds. "Stay safe, alright? Don't let this get to you." Jaehyun gives a grim smile.

"I'll try." Soon, Ode opens the door to the room and smiles.

"Yifan is contacting other planets to help with defense. What do you plan on doing when you get to Gaea? Lysithea has an allance with two major planets: Phobos and Metis." Hanbin and his group sigh. They were all from that planet as well; they knew because of that failed mission they weren't welcomed by many.

"Phobos?" Xiao asks, breathless. She gets vivid flashbacks. Hakyeon must know. She doesn't know how much Yifan told them of their predicament, but she has a feeling that he  _knows._ Zhi is holding Mina in his lap, and he gives her a concerned look. If she has to face Hakyeon again, what will she say? What  _could_ she say? Xiao sits back in her chair.

"Yes." Ode confirms. "They've both agreed to help our cause based on the information we've shown them." Jaehyun nods.

"Tell them to bring some back-up on my call." Yifan laughs.

" _I'm_ the one with the authority here, but I will give you that. You have the say-so with back-up." Jaehyun flushes a little bit and thanks Yifan. He got ahead of himself for a little bit.

"We head out tonight. Ode, you come with me." Yifan says, giving her a small smile. Ode nods. Lucas fiddled with his thumbs. He was suprised beyond belief that Jaehyun chose himself and Jungwoo to come with him back to Gaea, but he couldn't help but think maybe Jaehyun was feeding him to the dogs. He clears his throat.

"Jaehyun. Can we talk?" Jaehyun gives a nod and they both step aside from everyone else.

"Why did you choose me?" Lucas asks, getting straight to the point. Jaehyun gives him a piercing stare.

"Because, I think you and Jungwoo can be used as a good diversion if anything gets too hectic." Lucas nods, shaking his head.

"Will we ever get back to how we used to be? _Good friends?_ " He knows they both can hear the hope in his voice.

"Maybe. When all of this is over." Jaehyun says, turning away. Lucas walks back to Jungwoo. He didn't say no.

 

Yifan gave Jaehyun his own huge ship. Jaehyun smiled for the first time in a while.

"I'm gonna fly this baby." He says, smiling at the sleek red carrier. Yifan nods.

"Please don't crash too bad." Jaehyun gives him an incrediculous look while scoffing.

"Who says I'm gonna crash?" Yifan gives Jaehyun's shoulder a pat.

"You haven't done this in a while, pal. It's a miracle that I'm trusting you with this." Jaehyun laughs, everyone getting into their respective ships.

"We keep contact no matter how hard it gets unless we absolutely can't." Jaehyun states. Yifan nods, the playful banter gone from the both of them now replaced with seriousness.

"Yes. Good luck to you, brother." Jaehyun smirks.

"You too." Jaehyun sits at the controls, and he grips them, pulling out of the loading dock at Lysithea. The townspeople were cheering for them. Yifan zoomed into the atompshere before him, and he soon followed. Yuta wasn't lying; this turbulance was awful. But he pushed on, and outright grinned when he entered space.

"Hope I can pull this off." Jaehyun mutters to no one as he flies into the vast unknown.


	23. èr shí sān / 二十三 (twenty-three)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Yes? What's your question?" The person is wearing a green cap with a red H on it. The person looks up and smiles as a mic is passed to him. He clears his throat and asks his question.
> 
> "Chief Junmyeon? Did you think the beginning of your utter downfall would happen today?" Heechul asks, smiling. Junmyeon furrows his eyebrows.
> 
> "Excuse me?" He asks. As soon as the words leave his mouth, bombs detonate from around the building.

Taeyong and Junmyeon's advisors had gone over the plan many times, but that didn't matter. It was the day of the public interview, and he was more than nervous.

He was petrified this wouldn't go according to plan. Junmyeon was beside them in their limo. Junmyeon had on a sleek grey suit with blue accents, and Taeyong had his red hair slicked back. Jewlery adorned his ears, and he had on a oversized blue button up with grey bottoms. Both Junmyeon and himself had on brown shoes. Their stylist told them the public would eat the matching bit up. 

"We need to act like we're in love at this interview. I need the public's approval. Alright?" Junmyeon says. It was more of a command than a suggestion. Taeyong nods, looking straight ahead. The underground had planned to get undercover jobs at the venue they were going to be at. One of the biggest gossup forums in Gaea were going to interview them, and Taeyong snorted at the very mention. It didn't fit Junmyeon's character to be doing anything like this, but he knows it's a publicity move and nothing else.

When they stop in front of the hotel they're doing the interview at, someone opens the door to their limo. They're in a black tuxedo, black glasses pushed up to their forehead, and when Taeyong glances to see who it is, it's Hyunwoo. They really came through.

"Let me help you out, sir." Hyunwoo says, giving him a smile. Taeyong smiles back, and it's genuine between the both of them. Hyunwoo then helps Junmyeon out, and Taeyong scans the hotel for anyone else who might be familiar to him. He spots Changkyun walking around inside, and he's in the same get-up Hyunwoo is in. Jooheon is right beside him. Junmyeon walks ahead of Taeyong talking to Kyungsoo who's reading some statistics to him. Hyunwoo has his hand on the small of Taeyong's back.

"You really came." Taeyong whispered.

"Did you doubt?" Hyunwoo whispers back, amused. Taeyong blushes a little.

"I-I didn't doubt...I'm just a little nervous is all." 

"Don't be. We've got everything under control. Your friend inside also knows what to do. You just do your part, okay? Act like you're so in love with him it's ridiculous." Taeyong nods. Despite the sick feeling he gets in his stomach every time he has to lie about loving Junmyeon, he'll do it this one last time. Hyunwoo guides him to the elevator where Junmyeon is waiting, looking at something on his phone. Hyunwoo smiles as another woman with red hair enters the elevator. She gives a smile to Junmyeon, and Taeyong swears he's seen her before.

"It was a pleasure talking with you." Hyunwoo says as the doors to the elvevator close. Now it's just the three of them in here. Junmyeon turns to the woman with red hair.

"What are you doing here, Ketzi'ah." Junmyeon says calmly. Taeyong can tell he's angered. Just who was this woman?

"I'm here to listen to the interview like everyone else. What's wrong with that?" She asks, cocking her head at Junmyeon. Taeyong feels the tension rise, and he gets sinister vibes from the woman. He impulsively presses another button on the elevator, and the doors open on the wrong floor.

"Where are  _you_ going?" Junmyeon asks clipped. Taeyong sighs.

"Have to pee." Is all he says before he leaves the elevator. He didn't want to be in the elevator with that woman anymore; every instinct in his body was screaming  _get out._ He turned the corner and patiently waited for another elevator. He'd go up there alone. Suddenly, he was hit with who she was. He remembers Kyungsoo mentioning her as an advisor to another planet. But just  _what_ planet? He made note to ask Heechul later. Maybe he could get another insight.

 

"You have a smart one on your hands. He could sense my energy." Ketzi'ah says, pulling at her human skin. It was always funny being in it. Junmyeon rolls his eyes.

"He's perceptive, but he'll never find out about you. No one even pays attention to you." Ketzi'ah laughs.

"I'm gorgeous, darling. Every human pays attention to me." 

"What are you doing here? There are already rumors that we've partipated in sexual activites floating around the Imperal Office." Junmyeon bites out.

"But we have, haven't we? I feed on your sadness when we do it, anyways." Junmyeon sighs. He made a mistake going _that_ route. He wonders as to why Ketzi'ah and other Titans don't just fuck anyone around the universe for a food supply, but it isn't his job to ask questions.

"That doesn't fucking matter; you can feed on me however you want. I just need to be seen with you less now that I'm going to be a married man soon. People thought I was going to propose to  _you._ They thought we were an  _item._ Do you get it? Leave." Ketzi'ah crossed her arms over her chest. 

"Don't worry. I'm going to leave soon. I just get bad energy from this event. Something is going to happen that's going to jeapordize our little...business arangement. I need a new shipment by the way." Ketzi'ah mentions. "Abeer gets angry when he doesn't have a steady feeding. Other species don't taste as good as humans...don't make me feed on you entirely." Junmyeon gulps. That was always the threat she used and he should be used to it by now, but the severity of it hits him everytime.

"Fine. I'll get some people rounded up tonight. They'll be shipped by the next day." Junmyeon forgot the completely unethical aspects of this whole ordeal a long time ago. Ketzi'ah smiles. It's scary.

"Thank you, love." She runs her long red nails over Junmyeon's face. He shivers in fear and slight arousal.

"Now go save face and tell the world you _love_ that man."

 

People surrounded the table Taeyong and Junmyeon sat at while the intervew woman asked questions.

"So, Junmyeon, when was the moment you knew Taeyong was  _the one?_ When did you decide  _I'm going to ask for marriage?"_ People in the audience giggled and awated for Junmyeon's answer. Junmyeon gave a warm smile Taeyong could see through.

"It was when I was his superior when we were training. I was having a hard time with the departure of some former members to the Renegades, and Taeyong was there to comfort me in my time of need. When he was demoted, I visited him and we met in secret until I mustered up the courage to ask him for marriage." Junmyeon gave a small smile to Taeyong, and Taeyong forced one on his face. He wanted all of this to be  _over._

"Taeyong, now I have a question to ask you. What do you love about Junmyeon?" Images of how cruel he had treated Jaehyun, his other divison members and even  _himself_ flashed through his mind, and he gave a dry laugh involuntarily. 

"I love...I love how driven he is to get what he wants. He doesn't stop, he doesn't care about the consequences. He's just...a  _go getter."_ Taeyong says sickeningly sweet, giving Junmyeon a big smile. Junmyeon narrows his eyes, but gives an open look nonetheless. If the woman feels tension, she steadily ignores it.

"So, what are the plans for the wedding?" Taeyong can lose himself in wedding talk. That doesn't concern Junmyeon.

"We're thinking about going with a red accented wedding. White and red. We were thinking about adding green because that's Gaea's national color; but we didn't want this spring wedding to feel like Christmas!" People laughed at that, and Taeyong gave a little chuckle himself. He was good at acting when he thought about it. Taeyong began to tap his foot. Any minute now. 

"We're going to open the floor to the people now. Anyone can ask a question!" People begin to raise their hands, and Taeyong hopes to God this part goes correct, or its onto Plan B. They had  _several_ backup plans. The interview lady - who's name is Yoobin, but no one takes notice - points to someone who's in a vibrant multi-colored coat. Taeyong fights the smile off of his face.

"Yes? What's your question?" The person is wearing a green cap with a red H on it. The person looks up and smiles as a mic is passed to him. He clears his throat and asks his question.

"Chief Junmyeon? Did you think the beginning of your utter downfall would happen today?" Heechul asks, smiling. Junmyeon furrows his eyebrows.

"Excuse me?" He asks. As soon as the words leave his mouth, bombs detonate from around the building. Taeyong watches as structures fall, fall, fall. He grins amongst the chaos of people screaming and running. Hyunwoo assured Taeyong that no one would be hurt during their little stunt. Taeyong begins to feign panic just like the rest of the audience and runs away from Junmyeon. Junmyeon is more concerned with not getting hurt himself, so he runs as well. He'd meet up with Taeyong later.

Heechul abruptly pulls at Taeyong's arm, and Taeyong jerks back into Heechul's chest.

"C'mon. We need to get you to the roof. The one place that hasn't been blown up." Taeyong gives a chuckle as they climb the stairs quickly to the roof.

"I'm glad your terrible outfit got you noticed." Taeyong says as they climb. Heechul scoffs.

"This outfit is perfect! Anyway, even if they didn't call on me for the dramatic effect, this would have ended in only one way; with you being kidnapped." Heechul and Taeyong stopped at the door that opened to the roof. Heechul had a satchel on him and he dropped it to the ground, digging for some contents. When he stood up, he had a bag and some rope.

"Now for this to look real, we gotta make it  _seem_ real. Sorry, but I gotta tie you up." Taeyong let Heechul tie the rope around his wrists, put the bag over his head, and shove him through the door with a gun to his back. The gun was unloaded of course; but the more dramatic the better Heechul reasoned. He was suprised Hyunwoo and everyone else agreed to that. 

"There's gonna be a ship that'll shoot us to Dione quickly. Just get on it, and don't say anything. Alright?" Taeyong nodded. Sure enough, a black ship was overhead, its hatch open. Heechul lead Taeyong onto it, and when they were safely on the ship, Heechul did quick work of freeing Taeyong from his restraints. Looking around, he saw Hyunwoo and his team.

"Your friends on the inside are helping us set up everything. Just sit tight, alright?" Taeyong nods. He and Heechul take seats.

"I hope this ends up with him dead." Taeyong says. Heechul nods.

"That's the plan." Minhyuk (another man on Hyunwoo's team) came around and smiled at them.

"Taeyong's friends are helping set up the transmitter that'll air around all of Gaea. Hyunwoo will speak about the whole blackmail deal, and then we'll fly to Dione and wait to see what Junmyeon's next move is." Taeyong can't help but let his mind drift to the people of Gaea. He wonders that if their whole plan actually works, will Jaehyun want to become Chief? How could the planet bounce back from all of this controversy? Gaea was a planetary leader in some cases, but once everything is made public around various galaxies, there's no way anyone would want to openly do business or have relations with Gaea. 

The home that he was once proud of will become nothing but a memory if they can't work around this. Taeyong bites his lip. He hopes all his friends are alright. He hopes they catch wind of what's happening. Maybe they'll see each other on the way. Hyunwoo steps up to a camera, and Taeyong sucks in a breath. This is it. Small talk around the ship turns into silence, and Hyunwoo clears his throat. Changkyun points to him, and Hyunwoo opens his mouth to speak.

"Citizens of Gaea, the Underground has a message for you. The leader you think is so clean is not. We have incrimnating information on him. This information will be sent to him to know that we are legit. We only have one request of Junmyeon. Give up your title as Chief, and we'll give your fiance back to you. Fail to do this, and we will kill him." Taeyong is taken aback; Hyunwoo is such a strong figure.

"You have a week to debate over this. If you want him back, you can find us on Dione." Jooheon cuts the signal and Hyunwoo steps back. A man named Hyungwon sits at the controls, and he propels the ship out of Gaea's atmosphere and on a course to Dione. 

"A week. A week before I die. How rich." Taeyong says dryly. Heechul chuckles.

 

Junmyeon is back at the Imperial Office, and the only way to describe the atompshere is quiet chaos. No one says anything to him because he's a loose cannon when he's mad; he'll do unthinkable things. Junmyeon's advisors had planned for this.

"What the  _fuck_ just happened!" Junmyeon yells, storming down the halls. Ketzi'ah turns a corner and appears next to Junmyeon. Great. Just the person he doesn't want to see.

"Didn't I tell you I got bad omen from that meeting? Now your fiance is kidnapped and will be left for dead. You're going to get him. You're going to get him, and we won't get our supply. Abeer is going to kill you." Junmyeon stops cold. 

"You want a damn soul? Let me get you one right now." Junmyeon makes his way to a room, and all the men and women stand. Junmyeon frowns.

"You may all be seated." They sit down.

"What are they talking about, sir? You haven't done anything bad!" Junmyeon gives a smile. It appears genuine, but Ketzi'ah knows better.

"They're the lowlife underground people who live here. They've declared a civil war. We're going to give them one. Woojin." The leader of the division (division 236 if he remembers correctly) stands up.

"Sir?" He asks. Junmyeon puts a hand on his shoulder.

"Come with me." Junmyeon, Woojin, and Ketzi'ah make their way down to the basement of the office. Once they're there, Junmyeon directs Woojin to stand against the wall.

"What is this, sir? " Woojin asks. The slow rising panic is heard in his voice.

"Your divison was supposed to be top security at that event. My fiance is now kidnapped and he might die if I don't get to Dione in enough time." Woojin begins to sweat.

"I'm sorry sir, I truly am. I accept full responsibility for the turnout of the confrence." Junmyeon paces around, and he nods. Ketzi'ah watches in intrest.

"I'm sorry that you couldn't truly preform. And before this is all over...what they have on me is true. I'm not a good man." Woojin furrows his eyebrows when Junmyeon whips out a gun and shoots Woojin point blank. Blood spurts everywhere, and Woojin slumps to the ground, lifeless. Ketzi'ah squeals and claps.

"Theatrics are definitely your thing. How are you gonna explain this to the rest of them?" Junmyeon can't let Ketzi'ah know his hand is slightly shaking.

"I don't know. I'll make one of my advisors figure it out." Junmyeon says cold. "You got a soul. Now get off of me. I'll have men patrol to bring people from the underground in captivity. Then you can bring your little Titan friends to feast or whatever the fuck you do. I'm getting my fiance back." Junmyeon says. He slowly walks away. There's Woojin's blood on his face. Junmyeon wipes it off.

Ketzi'ah stares at the dead body. She knows Junmyeon's going to crack soon; she's known ever since Abeer granted Junmyeon and not Jaehyun with the power that he wasn't fit for. Ketzi'ah believes Abeer knew it too, but Junmyeon was just someone who was going to use it to beneift Titans rather than Jaehyun. He was going to use it to better the people. Ketzi'ah grabs the body and takes it with her.

Ever since Abeer became the Titan King, the way they feed has become more gruesome. Abeer needed someone who was selfish. Junmyeon was selfish. Jaehyun was not. Ketzi'ah gets a shiver. Abeer supposedly had killed Sabra. Most Titans (Abeer included) knew that Sabra would come back for vengence. Sabra was alive when Jaehyun had met them, after all. Sabra was going to give her power to Jaehyun, not Junmyeon. Abeer took care of that before the action was done. She knew that something was shifting. Their downfall was coming. She just hoped she could feast one last time before that happens.


	24. èr shí sì / 二十四 (twenty-four)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Soon, two girls come out the bathroom and Luhan follows. Luhan turns to Doyoung, and light makeup adorns his face. Doyoung rolls his eyes. He makes his way to Luhan and leans down to his ear.
> 
> "We're dating." He states bluntly in Luhan's ear. Luhan pulls away and looks Doyoung in the eyes.
> 
> "How the hell did that come about?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i got into a car accident and i had major writer's block with this story so i had to take a break from planning it for a little bit. but here's another chapter. it's actually the longest chapter I've written for this whole story...a whopping 5k+ words. enjoy.
> 
> (also the summary is very misleading but i promise it'll make sense)

"It's as if we lost Jaehyun again." Sicheng comments as Yuta flies to Dione. 

"Can't say I'm not stoked to go to Dione, though." Johnny says. Mark snorts.

"You're just trying to get laid." He notes. Johnny flicks Mark upside his head.

"Shut up. You're too young to be talking about shit like that." Johnny scolds. Taeil nods.

"He's not wrong." Doyoung scratches his arm.

"We're gonna have to go around the backway of the planet. How do we even find the rest of them?" 

"From what those files told us, Kun and Ten were students at some academy. Tao barely had any information." Yuta says, swerving around another ship. "We'll be at Dione soon." 

"So we hit up the academy first. Since it's Dione, there's no way we're gonna get in there if we're not students." Doyoung says biting his lip. Sicheng smiles.

"We're gonna go undercover as students aren't we!" Yuta rolls his eyes at Sicheng's antics.

"Yes. We're gonna be students." Luhan smirks.

"Oh this is rich. I'm totally gonna make us all look amazing. We're gonna be the most stylish students in that damn school." Taeil grimaced. Seeing his old superior was nice, but he forgot how fashion-foward he was. He was  _not_ looking forward to that aspect of the mission. But he couldn't lie; it felt good to be on another mission with his friends.

 

Yuta found a place to land his ship. He figured if they were gonna be playing the student bit, landing the ship in the academy landing docks wasn't such a bad idea. Yifan and Ode had been on the ship planning ways to find Zitao. When Yuta landed his ship, Yifan and Ode jumped out.

"Are you sure you guys'll be okay on your own?" Yuta asks. None of them can let the King of Lysithea get hurt. Yifan smiles and nods.

"Yes, we'll be fine! We've been looking things up on our journey, and Ode thinks we have a solid lead on how to get Zitao! We'll meet up again." Yifan says as he and Ode walk away fromt the ship. Everyone watches them go until they become specks in their eyes.

"Alright smart one, how are we gonna get outfits?" Doyoung asks, turning to Yuta.

"We're gonna steal some. Duh." Yuta says, shrugging his shoulders. "Luhan looked up the ins and outs of the school. There's a room where they store extra uniforms close to that entrance." Yuta points to a door. "Once we get uniforms, we need to act like we're new and we don't know what the hell we're doing. We'll go to classes and act normal, looking for Ten and Kun." 

"Maybe one of us could go to the front office and try to find out what classes they take?" Johnny offers.

"If any of you find time to do that without getting caught, go for it. We'll keep in touch with our phones. Now let's get some uniforms." Mark pushes ahead of Yuta.

"I have experience cracking into locked doors." He pulls a hairpin out from his curls, and jiggles the lock, quickly opening the door.

"I don't even wanna know  _why_ you know how to do that." Taeil says, walking past Mark.

"Remember that cute girl Yana? Yeah...that's why." Doyoung scoffed.

"Disgusting, Mark." Mark shrugged as they made their way down the hall. Luhan had the map of the school pulled up on his phone, directing them which way to turn.

"This sort of reminds me of when we all left  _Divine Vendetta."_ Johnny comments. Luhan clears his throat.

"I wonder who's running it now. Wonder what they said of my departure." Yuta notes how wistful Luhan sounds. He supposes it would be hard to leave what you've known for so long. It was weird for him leaving Phobos, he isn't gonna downplay that. Luhan stops them in front of a door.

"This is the room. Grab a uniform and make sure it fits before you slip it on." Everyone grabbed a uniform off the rack, and made work of slipping them on. Sicheng eyed Luhan carefully.

"Luhan, that's a girl's uniform. You can't wear that!" Luhan frowned pulling at the blue skirt on his hips.

"With the way I look, you wouldn't even be able to tell. Besides, we need diversity in our group. I did every outrageous thing at _Divine Vendetta._ This is nothing." Luhan licked his lips and slapped his cheeks. Everyone stares at him.

"What? I need to look _youthful._ "

"Yeah, let's go." When it was apparent Luhan was  _not_ taking the skirt off, they made their way out of the room and down the hallway to the main entrance of the academy.

"Ten and Kun are kind of old to be attending an academy like this. It's more like college?" Doyoung asks.

"Somewhat...Dione doesn't go by traditional school set-ups." Luhan answers. Sicheng loops his arm around Yuta's.

"We're gonna find them. Things will go just fine." Yuta sighs.

"I hope so." A bell rings throughout the academy, and students begin to rush out.

"I think we're gonna have to split up...yet again." Taeil says. 

"Grab a buddy!" Yuta yells. Taeil grabs Mark, Doyoung stays with Luhan, and Johnny tags along with Yuta and Sicheng. As the students fill up the hall, they're all pushed different directions. By the end of the day, they hoped to come out of the school with Ten and Kun.

 

Johnny almost threw something at the professor in the room. He, Sicheng, and Yuta had filed themselves into a lecture room, and while they didn't see Ten or Kun, they had to stay anyway to keep their cover. Johnny didn't understand a fucking word of what this man was saying.

"Can we like...bounce?" Sicheng scoffed.

"And be troublemakers on the first day? I don't think so!" Johnny almost smacked Sicheng.

"We're not real  _students!"_ Yuta laughed.

"He gets into character well. Let's just wait it out. We don't even have to take notes." Johnny sighed and slumped back in his seat. Those two were of no help.

 

Doyoung thinks he's going to leave Luhan on his own if he doesn't come out the girl's restroom. 

"That  _idiot..._ they could find out he's a boy at any time." Doyoung muttered under his breath. Luhan complaned about needing some type of makeup, and rushed into the girl's bathroom without a second glance at Doyoung. Doyoung has been waiting in the hallway for ten minutes, and class had already started. Fuck, he hated being back in a school type setting.

"You waiting for your girl, too?" A guy asks. Doyoung turns his head. Three guys are standing up against the wall.

"My name is Hyungseok. Red-head is Seunggyo, and this giant is Gunhoe." The two other boys wave. Maybe Doyoung could get some info about Kun and Ten from these two.

"Sup. Name is Doyoung. Do you two by any chance know two guys named Ten and Kun? I have...a bone to pick with them." If he could make it sound like drama, then maybe these academy kids were prone to eating it up and helping him.

"Nah man, but maybe my girl Jihye knows. She talks to  _everyone."_ Seunggyo offers. Doyoung smiles.

"Thanks." Soon, two girls come out the bathroom and Luhan follows. Luhan turns to Doyoung, and light makeup adorns his face. Doyoung rolls his eyes. He makes his way to Luhan and leans down to his ear.

"We're dating." He states bluntly in Luhan's ear. Luhan pulls away and looks Doyoung in the eyes.

"How the hell did that come about?"

"I was talking to those three guys about Ten and Kun. They assumed I was waiting on someone, and I went along with it." Luhan nods. He grabs Doyoung's arm and coos at him.

"Aww, Doyoungie! It was so sweet that you waited for me!" Luhan gushes. Doyoung almost pushed Luhan off of him on instinct, but he forced that down and gave Luhan a small smile.

"It's no big deal." Seunggyo and a girl with brown hair (Doyoung assumed that was Jihye), Hyungseok came with a girl who had pink hair, and Gunhoe by himself walked up to them.

"Oh my goodness! I was just talking to Lu, she's so nice and funny! I haven't seen her around and now I feel horrible, I should have met her sooner!" Luhan smiled at her.

"Jihye, it's okay. I like to keep a low-profile." The pink-haired girl came up to stand beside Jihye.

"I'm sorry, too. I don't like to ignore people." 

"You're fine, Ryoko!" Doyoung noted Ryoko was not a name someone from Dione would have. Neither was Luhan, so of course Luhan bonded with someone.

"Seunggyo tells me you're looking for two guys named Ten and Kun? Ryoko has a coding class with them next period. She'll tell them you're looking for them." Jihye says. Doyoung is filled with hope.

"Thank you. Appreciate it." Seunggyo and Doyoung slapped hands.

"No problem. You guys could come with us later after school? We're gonna go to the cafe, get some food, y'know." Doyoung made the move to tell them no, but Luhan squeezed Doyoung's bicep.

"We'll be there!" Jihye, Ryoko, and Luhan all squealed.

"See you then!" Luhan said, gently pushing Doyoung in the other direction.

"I'm going to kill you. Why did you say yes?" Doyoung spat once they were far enough away. Luhan shrugged.

"We're going to be on Dione for a hot minute, at least a week. With all the opressive energy, I figure we could do something fun. Maybe we could invite everyone else. We need a break, no matter how small it is." Doyoung sighed.

"Fine. Whatever." Luhan grinned.

 

Taeil had just about enough of Mark's shit. He flirted with every girl he saw, and while some also came onto Taeil, he gently let them down. Taeil pulled at Mark's ear.

"Will you focus? Ten and Kun aren't women, look for your friends!" Taeil snaps. Mark holds his hands up in surrender.

"Fine! I wonder how everyone else is doing. How  _Luhan_ is doing. He is playing a girl, after all. Think he could hook me up with someone?" Taeil gives Mark a dead look and turns back to his book. Taeil and Mark had found themselves in the library. Taeil had found a book that had information about Titans in it (as much as anyone knew), and he was reading it while Mark kept being annoying.

"I highly doubt that." 

"You find anything of use in that book?" Mark asks. Taeil shakes his head.

"Nothing that could help us. Nothing that could help jog Jaehyun's memory either. I feel as though he holds the key to us actually winning this stupid war. It's all in his memories. I'm still looking." Mark could get behind that theory.

"Has he ever just meditated? Y'know tried to relax enough to remember?"

"No. He's spent too much time planet-jumping trying to find us and dodge Junmyeon. He hasn't had a moment to just relax yet." 

"Hmm. You wonder if he and Taeyong did it yet? I bet they did when they first saw each other." Taeil gave Mark a look of  _really?_

"Can you go make yourself useful and stop talking and grab a book or something? I can't talk to you anymore." Mark chuckled while standing up and stretching.

"Don't deny it. You  _love_ me!" Taeil turned a page in his book.

"Whatever you say."

 

It soon became lunchtime, and they all met up with each other.

"Updates?" Yuta asks as they find a table.

"Taeil found a book on Titan information. He's looking for something we haven't seen yet." Mark says. Yuta nods.

"Good." 

"Doyoung and I are dating now." Luhan says. Doyoung closes his eyes.

"What?" Sicheng says, laughing.

" _Also,"_ Doyoung says, shooting a giggling Luhan a dirty look, "Lu and I made buddy-buddy with some people who go here. One of the girls takes a coding class with Ten and Kun, it was last period. She was going to tell them that we were looking for them. Hopefully we'll see them soon." Yuta claps.

"Good job you two! A round of applause for the lovely couple." Everyone claps (even Taeil, go figure), and Doyoung puts his head in his hands.

"I hate you all." 

"Oh! We have a social outing tonight. We're gonna go to a cafe." Luhan mentions. Johnny furrows his eyebrows.

"Is this for more information?"

"We can try and look for some, but this is for fun. We could use it." Johnny eyes Luhan.

"I don't know...we need to be diligent with trying to find Ten and Kun. We need to leave this planet as soon as possible to catch up with Jaehyun." Soon, a girl bringing her phone around everyone caught all of their attention.

"We can't pay any mind to drama." Taeil says, turning away from that. 

"Nah, we should see what it is." Mark says, standing up. 

"I agree." Luhan comments, also standing up. The two of them make their way to the small crowd, and peer at her phone. After a few minutes, they come back to the table, and sit down.

"Yuta. Call Jaehyun and tell him to come to Dione right now." Yuta furrows his eyebrows and Mark types frantically on his phone.

"We can't do that! He's probably halfway to Gaea right now!" 

"Listen to what he's saying! Watch this!" Mark puts his phone in the middle of the table, and plays the video. Junmyeon is looking into the camera.

 

 _"Underground. Hear me out now. You've threatened to kill my fiance if I don't step down from the throne. I will retrieve Taeyong back. I'm coming to Dione, the planet you instructed me to come to, and I will fight for my fiance. You cannot threaten me like this. I will show you how Gaea won't stand for this type of resistance. Taeyong, I'm coming."_ The video cuts off, and everyone frowns.

 

"Underground? Hell is he talking about?" Sicheng asks.

"Well, even when we were on Gaea, there were people who resisted Junmyeon's rule. Most said it was because he wasn't like his father in the slightest, and they weren't off the mark. I'm assuming they all gathered together, but they must have kidnapped Taeyong and threatened Junmyeon? I wonder if Yifan knows. This is all a fucking mess." Johnny says, putting his head in his hands. "I'm kind of ready for everyone to be together so we can fight the spiteful bastard and kill him." 

"We'll get there soon enough." Yuta says, clenching his jaw. 

"Guys!" Someone shouts. They all turn around and there, in the flesh, are both Ten and Kun. Johnny's heart stops.

"Oh my god. Hell yeah!" Mark shouts. Ten and Kun run up to the group and start greeting everyone, giving out hugs and smiles throughout all of it. When Ten comes up to Johnny, Johnny wastes no time leaning in for a kiss. 

"Wha-?" Ten questions. Johnny tsks.

"You're really gonna ask questions when I haven't seen your fine ass in years? Just kiss me back." Johnny says as he leans in again. Ten does kiss him back, and Mark elbows Taeil.

"See? I told you they were gonna do it." Taeil has half the mind to smack Mark in the back of the head with his book, but he thinks against it. 

"We need to talk." Kun tells everyone else. "I'm assuming you all saw the video about what Junmyeon said?" They all nod. "Good. Ten and I have been coming up with something that we think can help Jaehyun remember things. It's a device, but he has to be here to use it." That was some news they needed to hear. Johnny had Ten wrapped up in his arms.

"Yifan's out with Ode trying to find Zitao! What do we do about that?" Ten shifted in Johnny's arms.

"They're trying to find Tao? Shit." Luhan bristled.

"Shit? What does that mean, shits  _never_ good." 

"Tao is a weapons dealer now. He does so illegally, and we know this because we've helped him develop some technology for it. We were happy we found someone else we knew on this cold planet, and when we found out what he did, we put the moral aspect aside and helped him out. He makes bank from it, and he has clients around the universe." Kun tells.

"Where is he now? Tao?" Yuta asks. Kun bits his lip.

"He's in a secluded part of the planet. Where we are right now is Mainland, and it covers a lot of land. Anything else outside Mainland are outskirts of Dione. There's no way Tao could run the business he does in Mainland, so he does it in the outskirts. His base is rather...protected. Tao doesn't take kindly to outsiders trying to come in. They're not all that safe." Yuta curses.

"Fuck. I don't know if you know, but Yifan is the ruler of a planet; he has citizens he's in charge of. Tao can't hurt him." 

"There's no way for us to prevent that if we don't get down there right now!" Ten says urgently. "We can't just leave school." Doyoung rolls his eyes.

"Yes the hell we can. We're not even real students here. Let's just leave." Doyoung says, walking towards the exit. They all followed him until someone's voice stopped them.

"Where do you think you're all going?" It was a teacher. Doyoung stepped up and smiled warmly at her.

"We're all going to get some things out of our ship. We'll be back inside, miss." She eyed him up and down.

"Don't lie. You'll be in big trouble." Doyoung shook his head.

"We would never." She eyes him one more time and slips back into her classroom. Doyoung turns around and Taeil looks at him.

"Why did she believe you?" He asks. Doyoung shrugs.

"I have that aura." They all walk to the ship and Yuta buckles himself into the pilot's seat. Kun smiles finding a seat.

"I missed you guys a lot. Where's Jaehyun? Taeyong?" Kun asks. Sicheng shakes his head.

"That's a story we'll tell you on the way." Ten gives Yuta the coordinates to Tao's base, and Yuta cranks his ship to life, flying upwards and away from the academy.

 

"It seems as though the government here wants Zitao just as bad as we do." Ode notes, looking at some files. Ode had hacked into some of the systems in Dione and tried to find as much information on Zitao as she could. She had to go as far as hacking into government files, and when she did she found a place. It seems Zitao has been doing illegal things, and the government wants to arrest him.

"What have you done, Tao?" Yifan voices out loud. Ode puts her hand on Yifan's shoulder.

"He's okay. He's alive, so we'll find him and explain everything." Yifan nods, slumping in his seat on the train. Zitao was really far out from where they were, so they boarded a train hoping to get there quickly. They would walk the rest of the way. The train stopped at another station, and both of them stepped out. The station was dingy and dusty, and only a few people were at it. The land around it were houses and buildings alike, but they looked nothing like the Mainland. These buildings were run-down and old while the Mainland was technology based. It looked as if barely any technology touched this place.

"This makes no sense. Why is it like this out here, but its so glorious in the other place?" Yifan sighed.

"It's a simple hiearchy. Money equals where you're at. If you're poor, you're here. If you have some money, you could maybe get a spot in the Mainland, but it wouldn't be the best. It's all messed up." Ode nods at the explanation.

"Tao's over here." Ode says, pointing at a map. Yifan and Ode get to walking, heading over to that location. Yifan can feel his nervousness building up. He and Tao had a big argument before they left. Yifan had told Zitao that he couldn't come with him when they left Gaea, and Zitao didn't understand why.

 

_"Why can't I go with you?" Zitao shouted. Yifan wiped his face of tears. His lover was nothing but a bold-faced liar and a power freak._

_"Because. You need to live your own life, find your own way. Neither Luhan or I want to hinder you from that. Luhan isn't coming with me; he's going on his own as well." Zitao groaned._

_"That's different! Luhan's...Luhan! I'm Zitao...I'm like your little brother. Don't abandon me!" Yifan stilled. Zitao cut deep with that one, and it wasn't anything Yifan could refute either. Ever since Yifan met Zitao, he had doted on him like a little brother. Yifan could feel fresh tears coming._

_"Zitao. Listen to me. No matter how much you don't like this, it has to be done. We need to learn about this universe on our own. Here." Yifan says, reaching around his neck. He has a necklace with a star on it. He places it in Zitao's hands._

_"Wear this. I need you to know that I'm proud of you. I am. You've proved yourself worthy of being a man here, and you will be a great one. You'll do fine out here." Zitao cried, throwing the necklace onto the ground. He began to punch Yifan in the chest._

_"Fuck you! You're all I have! You and Luhan! Fuck you both! You're both leaving me, I hate you both!" Yifan sighed and wrapped his arms around Zitao despite the boy still punching him in the chest. Yifan soon let go and began to walk away._

_"You were always my favorite, Zitao." Yifan says as he closes the door._

 

"We're here. There's a barbed fence." Ode says as Yifan snaps out of his memory. He looks at the surroundings and sighs. They've made their way to the side of the establishment. He has no idea what Zitao's been doing these past few years, and from the looks of it coupled with what Ode's been saying, it isn't anything good. He wonders how bad on the spectrum of illegal it is. Ode pushes a button on the watch she wears, and a beam of light shines from it, cutting the barbed wire.

"It's a laser." Ode says as Yifan looks at her. They step through the hole and look at the building. There's people guarding the front entrance, and Yifan curses.

"I don't know how we're gonna get in there." 

"Give ourselves up. Zitao should know who you are and be excited to see you." Ode says, waving her hands and screaming. Yifan almost pushed her to the ground.

"Hey! We need to see Zitao! Hey!" The men guarding the front look at Ode and Yifan, and they both walk up to the entrance.

"How did you get in here?" One guard asks.

"We came in through the side. Tell Tao that Yifan needs to speak with him. It's very urgent." The other guard's eyes widen.

"Yifan? Like, King Yifan of Lysithea?" Yifan laughs and nods.

"That's my title." Both men rush into the building, and Yifan turns to Ode.

"Zitao's probably not going to be happy seeing me, don't bank on that. I have no idea what he'll do to us." Ode frowned at him.

"Just what the hell went on between you two?" 

"We had a fight the last time we saw each other. It didn't bode well." The two guards came back and guided them inside the building. Ode gasped. Despite the surroundings outside being barren, this building was full of tech. It was as if they stepped into the Mainland again.

"Zitao's in his office. Follow us." The two guards instruct. Yifan and Ode follow the men all the way into the back where Zitao was sitting. Yifan saw Zitao looked older, and he had red hair.

"Leave us." Zitao speaks, and the two guards step out, shutting the doors.

"Tao."

"It's nice to see you and not talk on the phone." Zitao says, standing up. Yifan had been in contact with Zitao for a little while, but the conversations had been clipped, and Zitao would purposefully keep them short. Yifan only found out that Ten and Kun were on this planet and that they worked with him by accident. 

"Whatever harbored hate you have for me, you need to let it out now. We need your help." Yifan says.

"First off, that mullet looks stupid." Zitao points out, pointing to Yifan's hair. Yifan rolled his eyes. Sue him, he's been running a planet, he hasn't had time to cut his hair.

"Any other shots you wanna take at me?" Yifan offers.

"Why didn't you come and get me after you became a ruler?" Yifan sighs.

"Because I had no idea where you were. I didn't know your contact, and despite what you think, I couldn't just up and take care of my own affairs. Becoming the leader of Lysithea after that horrid coup d'etat meant that I had to put the citizens comfort above my own. It's what you do as a ruler. Don't think I didn't want to find you or Luhan and bring you to the planet. Things are harder than they seem, Tao." Zitao nods.

"Alright. Why do you need my help?" Yifan walked up to Zitao and looked at him. Yifan noticed Zitao had a necklace around his neck. It was the one Yifan gave him all those years ago. Yifan touched it.

"Because. Junmyeon is more dangerous than he's ever been. He's been sacrificing the people of Gaea for power. Titan power." Zitao gasps.

"That bastard. Are you serious?" Yifan nods. Zitao snaps his fingers.

"That explains why Hyunwoo called me for a supply." Yifan furrows his eyebrows.

"Who's Hyunwoo, and what do you mean by  _supply?_ What the hell have you been doing, I know the government of Dione wants to arrest you." Zitao cringes.

"I'm a weapons dealer. Some of the weapons - according to Dione law - should not be attainable by commoners. Some weapons I have here are military grade hence everything being illegal. Hyunwoo is a client I have in Gaea. He said he was doing a big plan concerning taking Junmyeon down because he knows I have history with the man, so I decided to help him by supplying him with weapons and such." Ode looks at a tablet and calls for both of them.

"Watch this video." She says. Once they get through it all, Zitao curses loudly.

"Fuck! I could just murder that man. Why is Taeyong his  _fiance?"_ Yifan feels bitter at the fact that Junmyeon has a fiance no matter how forced that situation was. 

"I don't know. He's trying to fuck with Jaehyun. That's the man he ultimately wants to fight." Zitao sighs. 

"He's coming here. He's coming here and we all have to deal with it. This is it. The minute he steps on this planet, we have to kill him. No more waiting around, no more of that shit. This battle that's stretched on for years ends now." Yifan nods. He can get behind that mindset.

"Um, Zitao, sir? There's a bunch of people demanding to see you and-" The guard can't finish what he's saying because Yuta's kicked the door down.

"Don't hurt Yifan!" Luhan yells at Zitao. 

"What? Why would I hurt him?" Zitao yells as everyone rushes in. "Luhan?" Luhan smiles and envelops Zitao in a hug.

"Zitao, I know you're probably mad at me but how I've missed you. You've grown so much." Zitao grunts.

"You're crushing me. And why are you in a skirt?" Yifan eyes him.

"Yeah, why  _are_ you in a skirt?" Yifan asks. Luhan groans loudly.

 _"Forget the skirt!_ Yifan, have you told him what's happening?"

"Yeah. Junmyeon's coming here to get Taeyong back, and Zitao supplies the people that took Taeyong with weapons." 

"That's what you do that's illegal? That's actually cool as fuck!" Mark exclaims while Taeil elbows him in the gut. Zitao gives a small smile.

"I'm not gonna lie. It's cool seeing all the people we trained all grown up." Luhan laughs.

"I know right?" Ode speaks up.

"If you supply the people with weapons and they outright told you it's a plan to take Junmyeon down...do you think Taeyong's in on it?" Everyone thinks.

"Ode, you're a genius!" Yifan shouts. "He probably  _is_ in on it! How he duped Junmyeon like that...is beyond me." 

"It had to be people from the inside that don't like Junmyeon already. That's the only way. Otherwise no one else would be able to do this. There's no way." Doyoung speaks. 

"I called Jaehyun on the ship. He's making a U-Turn back to Dione. He hadn't gotten to Gaea yet, thankfully." Johnny says.

"That means Hyunwoo should almost be here. Or he is already." Zitao notes. "Taeyong has to be with him." 

"Call him up!" Sicheng says urgently. Zitao nods, dialing a number and putting it on the speaker. 

"Hello?" Hyunwoo answers.

"Where are you? I got the weapons you want ready." Hyunwoo clears his throat.

"We're coming to you now. It'll take us a little while, but we'll be there soon. Probably in the next day or two." Zitao nods.

"Alright. See you then." Zitao hangs up and it's silent.

"If Junmyeon's coming from Gaea, it'll take him the longest time to get here. Jaehyun will come in a day or two as well depending on where he was at to begin with. Now we just have to wait for them. You all can stay here." Zitao says. Yifan pulls Zitao into a hug.

"Thank you for helping." Yifan whispers. Zitao gives a smirk.

"Why wouldn't I help take him down? It's all I wanted since he left. It was his fault we split up, anyways." Yifan nods, squeezing Zitao a little tighter.

"Let's get some rest, everyone. We've got planning to do tomorrow." Luhan turns to everyone.

"Guess we're not going out with those academy kids. I was really looking forward to that!" Doyoung eyed Luhan with disdain.

"I don't  _understand_ you."


	25. èr shí wǔ / 二十五 (twenty-five)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "So we all go in there guns blazing; but what about Jaehyun? Jaehyun wants to have his revenge on Junmyeon. Where does he come into all of this?" Kun steps up and gives Taeyong a side hug.
> 
> "That, my dear Taeyong, is where we come in."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> johnten smut in here. yeah you came for this ALSO, i don't wanna hear the lies. 
> 
> the jaeyong reunion is here. get stoked.

Dione was a really beautiful planet, and (sadly) more technologically advanced than Gaea. Taeyong looked at all the drones flying in the sky, and all the people tapping and looking at devices he didn't even know. As Hyunwoo lead them all to Zitao's base, he felt very left behind.

"Don't fret, we're not gonna have to use any of that crap," Heechul commented upon seeing Taeyong's distraught face. "unless Zitao gives us some wacky weapon; he's gonna have to explain that one." Tayong gave a nervous chuckle as Hyunwoo rode in a (stolen) car through the streets. The further they drove, the far away from technology they reached.

"What's happening?" Taeyong asked.

"Zitao's base is in the outskirts of Dione. Technology is scarce here." Minhyuk explains. Taeyong nods. It was a smart move for Zitao to do that. Hyunwoo eventually pulls up to a big structure, and he shut the car off.

"Up and at em! We're going to see Zitao." Hyunwoo said, stepping out of the car. Everyone else followed suit, and they walked through the grass field to the building. Hyunwoo was able to by-pass the barbed fence easily seeing as he had ID that showed he was a customer of Zitao. They walked to the front and Hyunwoo showed the guards his ID again. They let all of them through, and Taeyong gasped. Zitao's base was beauitful and pristine, and tech as far as the eye could see surrounded the place.

"Zitao's really done well for himself..." Taeyong mumbles under his breath. Hyunwoo walks through a central hallway before Taeyong hears shouting.

_"Mark, be quiet! Can't you see I'm reading!"_

_"Oh come on, Taeil! You know you wanna hear what I have to say next."_

_"I don't believe I do."_

_"Oh you'll wanna hear it. Ten and Johnny...they're shackin' it up right now! And they took our room because they couldn't wait to get to theirs!"_

_"What?"_ Taeyong swore he knew those two voices. The painful burn of hope seized his chest. Could it really be them? Taeyong speeds ahead of Hyunwoo and Hyunwoo calls out to him.

"Taeyong! Stop! What are you doing?" Taeyong turns back.

"I'm finding my friends!" He makes a left turn down the hallway where he heard the noises, and when he comes to a door that was left wide open, sure enough there are some of his friends in the room. The room looks like a study, and Taeil is indeed reading with Mark hovering over him in a pouting manner. Sicheng and Yuta can be seen snuggling each other, and Doyoung and Luhan are playing a handy game of chess. Kun is in the corner fussing over a document, and Taeyong can feel the sense of  _home_ in his bones. 

"Guys?" Taeyong asks. Everyone looks up. Yuta sucks in a breath. 

"Taeyong!" Yuta shouts, running and scooping him up in a hug. That seems to snap everyone out of their revoir, and they all run up to hug him as well. 

"Jesus, I didn't expect  _any_ _of you_ to be here, why are you here?" Taeyong asks rushed. Yuta sighs.

"We initally came to this planet to find Ten, Kun, and Zitao. We were going to ask all of them to help us get you back so that we could defeat Junmyeon, and we would head back to Gaea. Now that we know Junmyeon's coming here because of a message the underground put out, we decided to stay. Bring the fight to him here." Taeyong smiles.

"I'm so glad! And Jaehyun?" Sicheng looks down at the ground.

"He's not here. He's coming, he should be here in a day or two." Taeyong could cry. He was  _so close_ to being in Jaehyun's arms again. 

"Okay, okay. That's good." Taeyong rambled, tears forming at the corners of his eyes. He goes around and hugs everyone else, and Taeyong gasps upon seeing Yifan and Zitao.

"Oh my god! All three of you are together again!" Taeyong exclaims as they stand side by side.

"Yeah, it is nice." Luhan comments, looking at Yifan and Zitao.

"I have to go, Hyunwoo's definitely here so we need to have a meeting. I'm gonna run the plan by him and see if he likes it or if he has any suggestions." Zitao says, patting Taeyong on the back as he walks out the door. Yifan and Luhan both nod at him, and Taeyong's confused.

"Plan?" Yifan smiles.

"If you didn't know, I'm the ruler of Lysithea now." Taeyong's jaw hits the floor.

"You're the _King?_ " 

"Yes, and I've implimented the help from two planets: Phobos and Metis. They'll be sending some of their men and women here to aid us on this fight. I had to tell them of Junmyeon's wrong-doings, and they're obligated to help me based on a code. Once we get enough men, we'll be able to face Junmyeon and whatever tricks he has up his sleeve. Sadly, if he decides to use any weird Titan energy on us, we don't have anything that'll completely erradicate his attacks, but we do have little solutions. Zitao's tech is above the grade he's supposed to own." Zitao smiles sheepishly at that comment. 

"So we all go in there guns blazing; but what about Jaehyun? Jaehyun wants to have his revenge on Junmyeon. Where does he come into all of this?" Kun steps up and gives Taeyong a side hug.

"That, my dear Taeyong, is where we come in. Ten and I have been working on a device that could maybe help jog Jaehyun's memory. We've hiden it in inconspicuous place in Dione, and once we find him, we can take him to it and have him use it. Ten and I have believed for the longest that the key to truly ending this is hidden in Jaehyun's memories. He just has to know them to figure it all out." Taeyong nods, getting behind that plan immediately. He himself has always felt that too, but it's nice and reassuring to hear it from someone else.

"Since Taeyong is here, you should know Jaehyun has Lucas and Jungwoo with him." Yuta says. Taeyong looks at the ground. He still doesn't know how to feel about those two, more so Lucas than Jungwoo. Lucas hid things and although he knows why, he still isn't too sure where his loyalities lie.

"When Lucas comes to this planet, I want someone watching him closely." Taeyong voices. 

"What? Why?" Mark asks confused.

"I just need it done. I need to see who he's really fighting for. I'll inform Zitao." Taeyong says, taking a seat in the room. He was glad to see most of his division in one room, but nothing could quench his hunger to see Jaehyun again.

"Wait. Where are Ten and Johnny?" Taeyong asks. Mark giggles and Taeil groans.

"They'll be in here...soon." Doyoung voices, picking up a chess piece and twirling it in his hand. "They're busy." Taeyong laughs at that.

 

"Oh god, Ten, do that again." Johnny said as Ten sank down on his length. He rocked up and down, setting a slow rhythm that had both of them panting and gasping for air. Johnny had missed this, he really had. There was no other feeling in the world than when he was fucking Ten, and that said a lot. Ten liked to go slow, and at first that had baffled Johnny. He had assumed Ten liked to fuck like a jackrabbit, but he was clearly mistaken. Ten fucked so slow sometimes it was borderline sadistic. Johnny was never fully sure who had the upper hand when they had sex, nor did he care. Not when Ten did  _that_ with his hips.

 _"Jesus, you're killin' me."_ Johhny breathes out as Ten slams down again with purpose. Ten gives a giggle that turns into a breathy moan.

"Didn't know you thought so high of me to call me that." Johnny glares at him as he begins to meet Ten halfway with powerful thrusts of his own. Ten jumped a little in his lap and gave a squeak that had Johnny smirking. It wasn't often that Johnny got in this state of mind, where he just wanted to dominate and control, but Ten always seemed to bring it out of him. Johnny started to move his own hips faster, and Ten was really bouncing now, putting his hands on Johnny's legs and  _gripping,_ while trying to control his voice.

"Oh, god, oh, it's been so long-" Ten babbled as Johnny sped up even  _more._ They were both at it now; trying to find their release.

"I'm so close-" Ten whispered, his hips beginning to still. Johnny gave a particularly hard thrust and growled.

"No you aren't. We come together or you  _wait._ I've had to wait too long for this and we're gonna enjoy it  _together."_ Johnny said, grinding against Ten's prostate. If Ten kept tightening up like how he did, this really was about to be over, and the command Johnny just gave would be all for nothing. He willed himself to hold back, and he saw Ten's eyes roll back as he kept bouncing.

"Johnny, I'm gonna come. I swear to god-!" Ten screamed, tensing up and coming all over his abdomen. Johnny felt Ten clench  _tight_ around him and that was it- he was coming as well, Ten's name on his lips. Ten's hips stuttered as he came down from his high, and Johnny tried to shift so he was more comfortable. The action caused Ten to whine in oversensitivity, and Johnny pulled out, but not without seeing some of his come dripping from Ten's hole.

"Fuck, I missed this." Johnny said, making way to grab something to help them both clean up. After he did that, he carefully tended to Ten who was smiling at him the whole time. Johnny really did miss seeing everyone; but he missed seeing Ten the most. He and Ten had gotten along quite easily compared to how everyone else got along, and their relationship went about smoothly. They got together and no one was even suprised; they just worked like that. Johnny honestly thinks Ten was brought to him by a blessing and a blessing only.

"What's this device you and Kun have?" Johnny asked, pushing the soiled covers onto the floor. He was sorry they used Mark, Taeil and Doyoung's room to fuck in, but when Johnny was able to finally get his hands on Ten and have him alone, primal instincts took over.

"We've been working on it for a while now. It sends controled electric shocks to the brain, and helps stimulate brain flow. If we can target the correct parts of his brain based on a tracking system we created from some medical instruments, then we might be able to help jog his memory of things that occured all that time ago. Something that could be the key to helping us now." Johnny nods, wrapping Ten up in his arms.

"Jaehyun and Taeyong are going to be so happy meeting up." Johnny says, and he knows they're both going to be asleep soon.

"I'm happy seeing you again." Ten says sleepily. Johnny gives him a kiss on the head, and that's all Ten needs before he and Johnny drift off into sleep.

 

Xiao was sitting next to Zhi and Mina, Mina fussing with Zhi over a book he was reading to her. Xiao really didn't know how to feel. With Yifan implementing the help of Phobos for their cause, she couldn't help but wonder. Wonder what Phobos looked like since she's been gone. It hasn't been that long, but with everything that's been happening it feels like it. She wonders if Hakyeon truly removed the Harem system or if he kept it. Or maybe kept some semblance of it. She wonders if he's found someone else. The thought of that makes her insides churn more than she would admit, and that's concerning to her.

"Are you okay? You look a little green." Zhi observes, dragging Mina away from some control. Xiao sighed.

"Just thinking about my previous life." Zhi nods.

"What was your previous life?" Zhi asks. Zhi calls for Jungwoo and he comes.

"Yeah?" Xiao was confused as to why Zhi had called him. Xiao remembers the slight distrust she could see in Taeyong's eyes because of this man, so she has her guard up.

"Can you watch Mina? Xiao and I need to have a discussion." Zhi explains. Jungwoo bends down to smile and Mina.

"Of course. Come on, Mina, I have more books we can read." Mina gives a happy cry and they both shuffle away. Zhi turns back to Xiao and Xiao bites her lip.

"Taeyong didn't really trust him." Zhi sighs.

"If he even tries to hurt Mina, you know I'd kill him. But he's not the type. Remember, he was lied to as well." Xiao nods.

"So, what was your past life?" Zhi asks again. Xiao takes a deep breath.

"I was the Empress of Phobos. My husband was Emperor Hakyeon." Zhi makes a noise of recognition.

"Phobos under the Harem system was very oppressive. Jaehyun and his friends helped get me out of the prison I lived in while I was on Phobos and I've been traveling with them ever since. After I repay my debt, they will take me to Laomedia, the planet my parents origionated from." Zhi looked at Xiao for a bit, then cleared his throat.

"I guess since you coughed that up, I should cough up my story, too." Zhi offers, sinking into his seat.

"Mina was...unplanned. I was on the run with a girl - Yoonha was her name - and we did too much one night. We were on the run because her parents didn't like the fact that I was a part of a gang on Ceres. After that night, it was soon revealed that Yoonha was pregnant. She was a wreck, and I was on the run. I could die at any moment; Ceres is unforgiving as you could see. I didn't find out the news until two weeks after I came back from a mission. She thought I would just up and abandon her and the baby, but that wasn't the case at all."

"I was not ready to be a father at all, but I took on the responsibilty because...because the child  _is_ my responsibility. Hell, I took part in creating her so why wouldn't I? Yoonha had a very hard pregnancy. Unfortunately for her, I was sent on more missions, and they increased in their difficulty. I would come back to the little house we owned away from her parents bloodied and bruised up. Beaten, but still standing. I promised myself I was going to be there for Yoonha and this baby, and when she delivered and Mina came into the world, that promise intensified."

"Mina was the most beautiful baby girl. I won't love anyone else in this world like I love her. She looks so much like Yoonha. Yoonha and I began to take care of Mina, and my missions let up. We could finally rest. Until the gang I was affiliated with got in bad relations with another gang from another planet- Sponde to be exact. I remember them like it was yesterday. When you're involved in that type of lifestyle, there's a unspoken rule that you shouldn't get emotionally attatched to people. It only causes you pain in the end. The gang kidnapped Yoonha. Mina was left alone, crying in her crib when I got home. There was a note. I sent Mina off with somoene while I went to find Yoonha. I loved that woman; I was going to do everything in my power to protect her."

"That didn't happen. When I came to the place they asked me to, I realized they had...they had already killed her. My family was just collateral damage to get my boss to come out to the point only for him to be fatally shot as well. I booked it out of there, and I hoped and prayed the police came. They did, and Yoonha and my boss' bodies were sent with them. Yoonha's parents immediately blamed me for her death, they said some pretty hardcore things to me. I took it; I deserved it. Yoonha was dead because she was involved with me. Yoonha's parents tried to take Mina away from me, but I promised them that I was out of this life style for good. They suprisingly listened and gave me a chance. It's paid off because now I have Mina by my side. Nothing's better." Xiao gave a grim smile to Zhi.

"I am deeply sorry she's passed, but I think I'm jealous. You have a beautiful daughter, and I had a miscarrage." Zhi rubbed his hands with this face.

"I'm sorry, Xiao-"

"There's no need." Xiao interrupts. "We've both lost things to this cruel world. What we need to do now is fight to make it a better place. I know I said I'm repaying a debt, but it's much more than that. These people are like family to me, I can't just leave them. It's not fair, so I won't." Zhi nods.

"You're very beautiful, you know that, right?" Zhi whispers. Xiao gives a genuine smile, one that lights fireworks in Zhi's stomach.

"Thank you. You're the most handsome man I've seen." Zhi scoffs.

"Have you  _seen_ all these other men? I'm not even close to comparing." Xiao gives a chuckle.

"You're the only one on this ship that's buff and looks like he can fight. You can compare." They both laugh at that.

"Land Ho!" Junhoe shouts over their seats. All the boys from Hanbin's team come to look out the windows and they gasp. Dione looks beautiful from the outside. Xiao hopes the rumors about DIone being the same way inside isn't wrong.

"Bring what you  _need,_ not want. Yuta contacted me about what Junmyeon has said, so we're heading to wherever Yuta is." Jaehyun says, pushing the controls downwards. Hyungwon was right next to him, rapidly pushing buttons to accomidate for their landing on the planet. The pass through Dione's atomsphere isn't rocky, and everyone is glad. Xiao looks around. Dione is different from anything she's seen in her life. It excites her.

 

Jaehyun is antsy. Ever since he got the call from Yuta, he knew he had to make his way down to Dione quickly. He set the boosters on the ship into turbo mode, and they sped quickly through space to get to Dione. He reasoned they would get there by the end of the day. He silently thanks Yifan for the sweet ship. As they park their ship on the outskirts of a base, he's mentally sending praise Yuta's way. For them to find a base to hunker down in until Junmyeon gets here was a smart idea. It couldn't have been easy to find it, especially with the conditions were like around here. Jaehyun muses this is the part of Dione no one wants to know about. He can feel the sadness in the air because of that. They come up to the stairs of the base and Jaehyun knocks on the door. Two men in bodysuits open the door.

"Whom do you wish to speak to?" One man asks, and Jaehyun is a little freaked out. The men are wearing full body suits, and Jaehyun couldn't see their face- that was covered up, too. 

"Um, I'm here to speak to Yuta. Yuta Nakamoto. I'm Jung Jaehyun." The two guards step aside at the mention of his name, and Jaehyun furrows his eyebrows. He swears on everything if Yuta's playing a trick on him, he'll get him back. The base is dripping in technology, and Jaehyun's head hurts even thinking about learning all of this.

"Where are you, Yuta." Jaehyun asks. He hears quarreling down the hallway, and he sees Johnny and Ten bolt down the hallway.

"Would it have  _killed you_ to go to your own  _room?"_ Jaehyun hears Taeil shout. Johnny and Ten are laughing with each other, and Jaehyun stops walking. Everyone bumps into everyone, and Jaehyun gasps.

"Sorry! We just missed each other, that's all." Jaehyun sees Ten put on a sickeningly sweet smile. Taeil narrows his eyes and Doyoung just proceeds to come around the corner, eyeing Johnny and Ten with them. Mark laughs as he comes around the corner.

"You guys slept in all day, you didn't even say hello to Taeyong until now!" Jaehyun hears footsteps come around the corner.

"Oh, don't pester them about it, they haven't seen each other in a long time. Lord knows we all knew they were the sappy couple back then." Taeyong drawls on, earning a few chuckles. Jaehyun's heart stops. He zeros in on one man, the one man he loves.

"Taeyong?" He asks, breathless. Taeyong turns around and makes eye contact with him. Taeyong gasps.

"Jaehyun!" Jaehyun proceeds to scoop Taeyong into his arms, and they embrace each other for a long time.

Jaehyun can't remember feeling this warm.


	26. èr shí liù / 二十六 (twenty-six)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "This is some spy shit." Johnny commented as Ten found the opening, and slowly (but surely) pulled the secret door back.
> 
> "We're conducting it here." Kun said, as he whipped out a flashlight from the duffel bag they took. He turned it on and led the way.
> 
> "Yeah, definitely some spy shit." Johnny said again as they all walked through the hidden pathway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> gaspra/titans explained.

Jaehyun and Taeyong asked to return to their room early. Ever since they had seen each other, they hadn't let the other one out of their site. Their hands stayed joined together, hand sweat be damned. Taeyong was still weary around Lucas and Jungwoo, but Jaehyun had eased that worry.

"They're harmless." Jaehyun whispered in Taeyong's ear, giving him chills. They had sat through the planning of the attack side by side, supporting each other silently.

"Jaehyun, you have ambition but we have to think of supply. I'm not an endless barrel; we will run out." Zitao snapped. Jaehyun rolled his eyes and looked to Yuta for help. Yuta was playing with Sicheng's hair so that was useless.

"I'm very aware of that  _fact._ I'm just saying we need to go with the big guns first. He'll have lackeys I'm sure of it, and we need to take them out before we can get to Junmyeon. He builds wall after wall around himself until they're all gone, leaving him with the most valuable weapon. We need to prepare." Hyunwoo nods.

"We could put some of the big guns around the populated areas of Dione to have Junmyeon fly somewhere else. It could be a little diversion and then we have mini attacks on the sides to slow the lackey's down, huh?" Hyunwoo offered. Jaehyun and Zitao readily agreed with that. 

"People from Phobos and Metis will be flying in tomorrow. I was on the phone with the Dionian government earlier today and I warned them about our plans. Some of us might have to leave the base. I think they want to meet with me to understand exactly what Junmyeon's been doing."

"I really wish Junmeyon's advisors were here. They'd know exactly how to explain this." Taeyong muttered. Jaehyun squeezed Taeyong's hand in his and went back to the conversation. 

"Tomorrow we need to borrow Jaehyun." Ten interjects.

"What for, exactly? Him being the leader of this revolution makes him a very hefty target." Zitao asks.

"I firmly believe the key to winning this whole war with Junmyeon is to find out just what is in Jaehyun's memories. If we do that, we could find a weakness of Junmeyon's and exploit it. Then we get him." Kun explains with ease.

"Alright, that's approved. Anything else?" Zitao says, looking around the room. No one says anything else and Zitao gives a emotionless smile.

"Then play-time's over people. Recon starts tomorrow. We're on crunchtime; Junmyeon could arrive at any minute." Everyone stands up from their seats in the confrence room of Zitao's base and all head out to do their own thing. 

"Zitao gave us a room. It's-It's towards the back of the building." Taeyong squeaks out. His cheeks are red and Jaehyun understands the implications now.

"Don't be shy." Jaehyun instructs Taeyong. Instructs. Taeyong feels a light buzzing in the back of his head, and he's already excited to plop on the bed. When they arrived to the room, Taeyong saw the bed and made a beeline for it, throwing all his weight onto the bed. He sloshed around until he fell butt-first onto the ground.

"A water bed? Really?" Taeyong asked as he saw the fake fish swimming through the water. Jaehyun laughs as he slides next to Taeyong.

"What can we say? The man knows how to woo someone." Jaehyun said, refering to Zitao.

"Then how come he has no steady person in his life right now?"

"He doesn't want to be tied down, Tae. Basic knowledge." Taeyong rolls his eyes.

"Just shut up and kiss me." Taeyong said, pushing Jaehyun's face closer to his. He hasn't kissed Jaehyun in a while- he quickly accepts the kiss and it becomes really heated, and Taeyong is sure he feels sweat coming from everywhere. Jaehyun is the same, and his hands roam all down Taeyong's body, stopping on the curve of his ass. Jaehyun gives it a few squeezes, each one hurting more than it's successor.

It's messy and just lewd, but neither could care about apperances. Taeyong had a feeling they were going to go all the way this time, and his skin tingled in excitement. They easily slipped their clothes off of each other, and Jaehyun was reminded about how beautiful Taeyong looked in Phobian garb. That seemed like a long time ago; when they had escaped from Gaea. Jaehyun took Taeyong's bottom lip into his mouth and bit it, and Taeyong became weak in the knees. Their hands were  _everywhere;_ there wasn't one part of the body they didn't touch. Taeyong opted for soft touches, and he knew Jaehyun revaled in them. Jaehyun was more of a groping guy, and he had Taeyong arch into his touch every time.

Jaehyun moved lower, leaving wet kisses on Taeyong's neck. Taeyong leaned back, giving Jaehyun more access. Jaehyun happily took it, and proceeded to leave mulitple hickeys on Taeyong's neck. They were both naked, and Taeyong grinded against Jaehyun's pelvis. The action had Jaehyun stutter, and his hips snapped up to meet Taeyong's. 

"Fuck," Jaehyun breathed out, moving lower. He pushed Taeyong down onto the bed (minding the fluidity of the bed, thanks Tao) and licked all around his chest. Taeyong keened into Jaehyun's touch, and he gripped Jaehyun's back.

"Ah, please-" Taeyong whined. Jaehyun took one of Taeyong's nipples into his mouth, and Taeyong went crazy, loving the feeling. Jaehyun decided to be a little shit and bite, and Taeyong wasn't even suprised that he reveled in the slight sting. Jaehyun did the same thing to the other side, and Taeyong was about tired of the foreplay. His dick was rock-hard, and it was steadily leaking pre-come. He just wanted Jaehyun to touch him.

"Let me do you." Taeyong whispered. He wasn't sure Jaehyun even heard him, but he had and Jaehyun reversed their positions quickly. Taeyong started at Jaehyun's neck, kissing and sucking. Jaehyun gave low groans of pleasure, and Taeyong didn't think he'd ever get tired of Jaehyun's voice. Jaehyun wasn't a vocal person in bed- he didn't moan or whine like Taeyong guiltily would like. He did groan ( _fuck_ him) and he had the worst mouth on him. Jaehyun loved dirty talk; and it never failed to make Taeyong blush. Taeyong kissed on Jaehyun's chest as well, and he returned the favor to Jaehyun. Jaehyun stroked Taeyong's back, and Taeyong moved even lower to Jaehyun's pelvis. Taeyong had decided then and there that he was going to suck Jaehyun off.

Taeyong began to lazily stroke Jaehyun in his hand, and Taeyong liked the weight of his dick in his hand. Taeyong met Jaehyun's eyes and he wrapped his lips around the tip. Jaehyun's head fell back and it bumped the headboard. Taeyong began to suck and lick, never letting up on the minstrations. He was set on making Jaehyun shake. Taeyong would alternate between sucking the head (that got a slap on the ass) or just deep-throating (that recieved hair pulls). Taeyong put his hands on Jaehyun's hips and furiously sucks. Jaehyun's dick hits the back of his throat many times, but he takes it like a champ and keeps going only for Jaehyun to come with his name in a groan. Taeyong pulled back just in time for it to coat his whole face. 

"A facial, huh? Didn't...know you...were into those. Duly noted." Jaehyun said, breathing hard. Taeyong closes his eyes and sits up. Jaehyun finds a box of tissues on the nightstand and passes one to Taeyong. Taeyong proceeds to wipe his face and he throws the tissue on the ground hapazardly. They'll get it in the morning.

"I'm not into them. I just didn't feel like swallowing." Taeyong pointed out, crawling in Jaehyun's lap. Jaehyun's dick had gone soft, but Taeyong's was ready at attention. Taeyong and Jaehyun met in a kiss that was more tongue than mouth, and Jaehyun moved his hand to gently tease Taeyong's dick. He swallowed the man's hiccups and whines in kisses, and Jaehyun pulled away.

"We need lube. I don't wanna use spit." Jaehyun says. Taeyong nods. Jaehyun turns back to the nightstand and pulls open the first drawer. In it are condoms, lube, and chocolates? Jaehyun rolls his eyes, but he sees a note.

_Have fun! Don't forget to eat the chocolate or at least give it to me if you don't want it! - mark (p.s. taeil and doyoung got mad at me for getting these things, but I stole them from johnny so shouldn't they get mad at him?)_

"What does it say?" Taeyong asks. He reads the note and huffs out a laugh.

"Johnny just assumed he was getting lucky. At least he had stuff left over." Jaehyun said, cracking open the bottle of lube. 

"Turn around." He instructed. Taeyong did as asked, and Jaehyun admired Taeyong from the back. 

"Since you sucked me off, I should return the favor." Taeyong was about to ask what that meant, but when he felt Jaehyun spreading him open, he had a feeling he knew what it was.

"Jaehyun-" Taeyong started before something  _wet_  that wasn't a finger gently tease his rim. Taeyong was on cloud nine; he was pretty sure someone was going to come kicking down their door, yelling at them to shut up. Taeyong wouldn't care, couldn't care. Not when Jaehyun was doing this to him. He could hear himself moaning loudly, he knew it was loud but he couldn't seem to care.

"Jaehyun, Jae, please, oh god-" Taeyong babbled. He had been teased beyond belief, he was going to blow his load.

"I'm gonna, I'm gonna-!" Taeyong shouted before he came all over himself and the bed. Jaehyun kept licking, and Taeyong swore he saw white for a minute. Taeyong's legs were quivering, and Jaehyun smirked. He was rock hard again, he got off on making Taeyong  _weak_ like this. It was one thing that would always get him back in the mood. Tears were in the corners of Taeyong's eyes, and Jaehyun draped himself over Taeyong's back. He gave a light kiss to Taeyong's neck and whispered in his ear.

"Do you want me to prep you or do you want me to just go in?" Jaehyun asked. Taeyong sighed in relief. They were still going to go all the way.

"Prep." Taeyong answered quietly. Jaehyun lubed up his fingers and prepped him quickly, and maybe he threw in a few jabs to Taeyong's prostate. Once he (and Taeyong) deemed it was stretched enough, Jaehyun lubed up his dick, hissing at the contact. He draped himself over Taeyong again, and lined himself up with Taeyong's entrance.

"I'm going in, okay?" Jaehyun asked. Taeyong nodded, and Jaehyun pushed in. Taeyong was tight, unbelievably so, and Jaehyun almost fainted at the feeling. Taeyong was simultaneously pulling him in and pushing him out. Taeyong's mouth was wide open, the feeling of being breached so foreign to him now. Once Jaehyun bottomed out, they both gave out noises of contentment.

"Move.' Taeyong said after a few seconds. Jaehyun wasted no time, snapping his hips up. Taeyong fell with the force, and Jaehyun didn't stop. He was quite literally knocking the breath out of Taeyong, his thrusts so hard both of them were basically plastered to the bed, Jaehyun trying to get deeper and deeper into Taeyong. This was an experience for both of them, they were connected in a way they hadn't been in a long time. They were one now, moving as one, chasing the same thing. 

"Jae, you feel so good, oh god you feel amazing- fuck-" Taeyong babbled. Jaehyun gave a chuckle and licked Taeyong's ear, earning an approving moan from him.

"Ah, you feel like heaven around me, god your hole is just taking me so well. It's been so long but you still know what to do, proud of you baby." Jaehyun practically growled in Taeyong's ear, his thrusts getting more sporadic. Skin slapping on skin could be heard, and if you didn't know what was going on it would sound downright painful. Taeyong liked a little pain here and there, sue him. He knew his ass was going to be sore and red and nothing excited him more. It let him know it was real; that everything that happened,  _happened._ That he didn't make it up. Jaehyun kept whispering lewd and dirty things in his ear, and Taeyong only caught some of it. Some things fell on deaf ears- Taeyong was blissed out.

"Close." Jaehyun breathed in Taeyong's ear. They joined their hands together as Jaehyun rammed into him. Taeyong was close too; the friction of the bed against his dick was madness.

"With me, do it with me-" Taeyong breathed out.

"Kay, I will, I'll try. Tell me-" Jaehyun answered back. Their moans and groans mixed together, and Jaehyun really liked the sound.

"I'm- _Yoonoh!_ " Taeyong shouted, his hips tensing.

"Yes, Tae-" Jaehyun said lowly, biting onto Taeyong's shoulder as he came. Taeyong came all over the bed again, and Jaehyun came inside Taeyong. When he pulled out, some of his come ran down Taeyong's thighs. That shouldn't have turned him on, but it did. He was tired and the thought of using his dick anymore right now hurt. 

"We need to go take a shower." Jaehyun noted. Taeyong had blacked out for a little bit. He was in paradise. The way the water bed gently swayed put him in a good place.

"No. Stay here. Tomorrow." Taeyong said, only getting out the bare minimum. Jaehyun tsked and pulled Taeyong up.

"Nope. I don't wanna hear any complaints about dried up come tomorrow. C'mon you can do it." They both hobbled into the bathroom where (unsuprisingly) more activities followed.

"I love you so damn much." Jaehyun whispered as he looked into Taeyong's eyes.

"I love you, too."

 

"The location of where we hid part of the device is inside the academy. We're gonna go get it, and then we'll go from there." Kun said, hopping out of the small vehicle Zitao let them borrow. It was Jaehyun, Taeyong, Ten, Kun, and Johnny, and they were all together to see if this machine worked. Kun and Ten stepped out of the car, and Johnny sighed.

"Are you nervous man?" Johnny asked Jaehyun.

"Nah, if anything I'm ready to do this." Jaehyun answered back. Taeyong looked out of the window and soon enough, Kun and Ten came back with a duffel bag.

"Alright, Kun. Drive us to the next stop!" Kun obeyed and drove them to a shopping center.

"We're going in a mall?" Johnny asked in mild shock. Gaea had plenty malls, but for what they were doing how did going into a mall make any sense?

"Yes, smart one." Ten said, snorting. Johnny smirked at Ten, thinking of ways to get him back. They walked into the mall, and Kun cut to the men's bathroom. He looked at a paper towel dispenser and a lazer came from it, scanning Kun's eye. Once it was finished, there was an unlocking sound, and Ten put his hands to the tile walls, feeling for something.

"This is some spy shit." Johnny commented as Ten found the opening, and slowly (but surely) pulled the secret door back.

"We're conducting it here." Kun said, as he whipped out a flashlight from the duffel bag they took. He turned it on and led the way.

"Yeah, definitely some spy shit." Johnny said again as they all walked through the hidden pathway.

"You all look confused, let me clarify. When Dione first had inhabitants, the atmosphere wasn't very suitable. People lived underground and over the years people and beings alike stood side by side and created technology that built the planet that it is today. People still use the underground passageways these days, but only as a dare or a joke. Ten and I found this one on accident, and when we realized we could secretly conduct our experiments here without anyone really noticing, that's exactly what we did." Kun commented, still leading the way. Ten nodded at him.

"We would come to the mall when it was about closing time and stay in the passageway until it opened again in the morning. We did this for two years, perfecting the machine we created for Jaehyun. Even if Junmyeon wasn't crazy and we didn't have a war to win, we still would have let you use the machine when we found you again. With everything they made you take, you would not remember everything; there's no way you could without some outside help." Ten drawled on, and Kun came to a stop in front of a door. Kun let his eye get scanned again, and the door unlocked. They were all met with a room full of technological equipment none of them had seen before.

"Oh my god, Ten you were  _still_ on your bullshit despite being gone." Ten smiled.

"I was able to finish my training with Kun here, and he's just as good as me, if not better." Kun flushed under the praise and laughed.

"Thanks, Ten. Jaehyun?" Jaehyun stared at the quite spacious room. Taeyong was right beside him. Jaehyun grabbed Taeyong's hand and squeezed. 

"Tell me what I need to do." Ten and Kun got to work turning on machines and setting things up. Johnny took a seat and watched. Taeyong took a seat next to him while Ten and Kun sat Jaehyun down in a machine with a chamber in it.

"Jaehyun, this machine that we've built will send controlled electronic shocks to your brain. It will help stimulate your brain flow, do you understand? Needles will have to be stuck in your head, but don't be alarmed. It's like getting a shot, it only hurts for a second. Once that's done, we'll monitor your vitals as we send the shocks to your brain through the needles which act like conductors. As we send shock after shock, we'll increase the power if you tell us you're not getting any memories. Kun will be looking through the map of your brain, and he'll try and pinpoint where we'll be most likely to find these memories we need. Are you ready for this?" Ten asks. Jaehyun breathes in and out.

"I'm ready." Ten begins starting a machine, and mechanical hands produce two needles. Jaehyun closes his eyes; this needs to be done. He feels it, and it's painful. He mentally curses at Ten because this shit hurts way worse than a shot. But suddenly, the pain stops. He snaps his eyes open, and he's met with white. The door to the chamber has shut completely, and he's locked in the machine. He feels utterly alone, and in a sense he is. The machine goes dark, and Jaehyun panics momentarily. But, he faintly hears a  _whirr_ sound, and lights begin to pulsate in the machine. They change from white to blue to purple and back again.

Jaehyun strains to see (looking at  _what_ exactly, he doesn't know) but it's hard with these lights. They sort of hurt his eyes, and he closes them. 

 _"We're going to start the shocks now, Jaehyun. The lights will put you to sleep. Don't fight it, let it happen. You also have to help yourself in this. Try your hardest to remember. Anything you see, latch onto and follow it. We don't know much about memory and how it's mapped; we only know the bare minimum. We've given you the tools to get there, now it's time for you to go on this journey yourself. Good luck."_ Ten says. Jaehyun feels the shock, and it makes his eyes roll back. It hurt, it was on a new level of pain he didn't know he could feel. He could faintly hear himself groaning, but it didn't matter. The lights kept flickering on and off, on and off.

Jaehyun closed his eyes again, and he didn't try to open them. He was fully in his mind, now.

 

 _Jaehyun for the life of him could not remember how the actual fuck that Titan had captured him, but he just knows he's in deep shit. The Titan ship is huge, and he sees about two in his vicinity: one flying the plane and another keeping guard of the cage they have him locked in. Jaehyun's been thinking of ways to escape and hopefully find a Gaean ship so he could go back home._ _He didn't know how long they were in that ship for, but when the ship stopped, the cages were unlocked, and two Titans came to escort them out. Jaehyun coughed; Titans smelled like smoke and ashes. Jaehyun was tiny in their presence, and that would work to his advantage if he found an escape route._

_They could also crush him in the palm of their hands._

_**"We have him."** One Titan said. A woman came out, and she smiled horribly. Jaehyun wanted to look away, but he couldn't. He wouldn't show fear in the face of these beings. _

_**"Oh, how wonderful. The plan is moving along smoothly."** She bites out. Jaehyun wants to cover his ears. Their voices are gravelly and chilling, he gets shivers._

_**"What do we do with him, Lady Ketzi'ah?"** She taps her chin and points down a long hallway._

_**"Bring him to Abeer. I have to travel down to Gaea to speak with a special someone. I have the vessel to give him. Update Abeer on my status."**  The two Titans nod and she stalks off, her heels clicking down the hallway. They take him down the other way until they reach a grand door. One Titan knocks on it, and they instantly open._

_**"Who comes to pass?"** A deep voice said. Jaehyun thought that's what the devil himself sounded like._

**_"We have the human boy."_ ** _One Titan speaks up. They walk around the corner, and Jaehyun is face to face with the biggest Titan he's ever seen. This Titan is muscular and huge, and it has horns on his head. It's eyes are red, and when it smiles, Jaehyun sees sharp teeth._

_This is what nightmares look like._

**_"I bet you're wondering who I am, boy. I am Abeer, or more formally known as the Titan King. You're here because I struck a deal with a human. He needed something done and so did I. He...wanted you dead, and in return we get souls. He says you're very courageous; a good soul to feast on indeed."_ ** _Jaehyun's heart dropped to his ass. He was about to be killed and his soul eaten? What kind of insane shit was this?_

_"Why me? Who wants me dead?" Jaehyun asks._

_**"I'm not supposed to tell, I'm not. I swore I wouldn't tell you when I saw you, but alas. I'm not a good guy. It was Junmyeon."** Jaehyun's breath left his body. Junmyeon - his superior he beat a week ago prior to the Gaspra mission - wants him dead. But why? He had never been mean to the guy; he was his superior for Christ's sake!_

_"What the hell? I don't understand! I never- he-" Abeer yawned._

_**"Don't try to find a reason, you probably won't get it. Unless you want me to explain, and I will. I'll explain, I don't need your consent. The very simple answer to why...is greed. Junmyeon is power hungry. He made a deal with me. My people aren't merciful, so don't think your life will be spared. I hope you got all your affairs in order before this."** Jaehyun slumps down on the ground. He'll never get to go back home and see his friends again. He'll never get to see Taeyong again. Jaehyun began to cry._

_"When do I die?" Jaehyun asks, voice void of emotion._

_**"In a few days when Junmyeon brings us a sacrifice. Once the sacrifice is brought, you die."** Jaehyun sighed, his face wet with tears._

_"Alright."_

_Jaehyun stayed locked up for a few days. Guards came to give him food, but it was nothing he'd ever eaten before. The berries were red and they glowed, and they tasted sweet. Jaehyun just kept praying they didn't kill him, but he banked on the fact that Abeer was going to kill him personally. He sat in his cell and thought. He hoped Taeyong would be okay without him, hell, he hoped his whole division would be okay without him. He remembers before he got kidnapped the screams of some of them. He knows that Johnny and Sicheng were badly hurt, and he knows that even though he wasn't there to see the whole mission through...Gaspra was a fail. He couldn't be updated on the status of the sacrifice. He wondered who it was going to be, and how the Titans killed and feasted on souls. He wanted to see it (as sadistic as that sounds) so he could have an idea of what was going to happen to him._

_Jaehyun was admitting defeat, and that was something he didn't fucking do. He was at his wits end, he had no weapons to fight these people with, and he wasn't going to try to do it bare-handed. He wanted his bones intact, thank you. Just as he was about to go to sleep one night, Jaehyun heard rustling. He stayed laying down, but he was on high alert. Even though he knew he was going to die, he wasn't going to go down without a fight. His body wasn't going to let him, he supposed._

_**"You poor creature."** A voice whispers. Jaehyun knows it's a Titan - he can hear it in the scratchiness of the voice - but this one sounds softer, more genuine. Jaehyun sits up and turns around. A woman is in front of him, and she has the peeled skin of a Titan and the build of a Titan, but her skin isn't black. Her skin is a cream color, and she looks up at him with blue eyes. Her hair is blonde and it runs down to the ground, and she gives him a smile. Jaehyun can say he isn't afraid of her._

_"Who are you?" Jaehyun asks. She crouches down to sit in front of his cage, and her dress spreads out on the ground. She has a headpiece on with different colored jewels on it, and she looks around the room with Jaehyun's cell in it._

_**"I am someone this new age of Titans wishes they could forget. They've wanted to forget me for years. But I am still here, and I won't let the legacy of Titans that I know and that Abeer himself knows be washed down the drain just because of Abeer's selfish reasons. I am Sabra, wife of Abeer, Titan Queen."** Jaehyun can't lie and say he isn't shocked. How could that guy have a wife?_

_"Why do you look different than all the other Titans?" Jaehyun asks. Sabra gives him a sad smile and looks down at the ground._

_**"That is a tale. I suppose you have nothing but time on your hands, so I'll tell it. Years ago, Abeer and I were wed. Titans looked like me and less like Abeer. If you feast on souls, your skin turns black. We didn't use to feed like this when Abeer's father, K**_ _**'ongo, was in power. K'ongo passed away, and Abeer took the throne. That made him king and I queen. Abeer had plans, plans he could have never put into action while his father was alive. I saw he wanted to switch Titans to eating souls, and I was horrified. We usually ate the berries or we took energy during pleasureable acts, but Abeer wanted to take it to another level."** Jaehyun sits at full attention now._

_**"When I confronted him on his actions, Abeer was outraged. He said I had no place to tell him what was right and wrong, and that feasting on souls was a Titan's true meal, that was a Titan's true nature. He was mad. He locked me up never to leave this palace, and I refuse to eat a soul whether its human or not. I only eat the berries; that was our food source. Abeer has ruled for years on end, and citizens were forced to eat souls...sometimes each other if it got dire. I absolutely hate living here. You humans call this Planet X, but the real name of this planet is Osiris, home of the Titans. We were a peaceful planet until Abeer came into power. Now we're only known for pain and destruction. It hurts seeing the planet I used to love end up like this."** Sabra said, tears slipping from her eyes._

_"You came to see me?" Jaehyun asked._

_**"No, I just happened to pass through the chambers, and I saw you here. Abeer has you all locked up because of that deal he made with that human, I heard. This is the first time he'll be trying his hand at human souls, personally. I'm scared of what this might do and how people will react. Abeer would commit genocide if it meant he'd have a damn food supply. He supplied that human with a vessel, and at first, he was going to pass his power down to you actually."** Jaehyun furrowed his eyebrows._

_"Me? Why?"_

_**"I had influened his mind. Titans have powers, y'know. I was going to try to do it long enough for you to get on the ship, and for him to transfer his power to you, but his mind won over my powers and here we are. I cannot leave this place, and it seems as if you're a good person. You are a good person, correct? I imagine you are since that human wanted you dead."** Sabra asked. Jaehyun shook his head yes. Sabra grinned._

_**"I thought so. I'm going to do something Abeer would downright beat me for, but it needs to be done. This is more than just you and me. This decides the fate of souls. Titans can transfer their powers to any host they deem worthy of it. Abeer transfered some of his power into the vessel Ketzi'ah is delivering to the human on Gaea. I can't leave this place, but you look worthy to me. I'm going to pass on my power to you."** Jaehyun was speechless. He was a human for Christ's sake! He didn't know if he could even save anyone, let alone a Titan race._

_**"Here you are, fraternizing with a human I see."** Abeer growls out, standing at the corner of the room. Jaehyun didn't know when he got in the room, but Sabra stood up and faced him. Her stance was defensive._

_**"He would actually talk to me. Go figure."** _

_**"You constantly disobey me, and I can't for the life of me figure out why. You're the Titan Queen, you're a part of the most feared and respected race of beings in this universe, you have everything and yet....yet you act as if you have nothing at all."** Sabra scoffed._

_**"I don't have anything! You're insane, I married an evil, evil man! I remember when you were so nice, so full of joy and wonder. Now you're just a bitter soul. I've let this go on for too long. I have to put a stop to this."** Abeer pulled out a scythe and pointed it at Sabra._

_**"I am not one to be fooled, Sabra. I know you charmed my mind. I know you wanted me to aid this human, but I'm more powerful than you, you see. You dare try and manipulate me? Your own husband? That can't do."** Abeer charged at Sabra, and Sabra put up a shield full of energy. Jaehyun covered his eyes, and he tried to grasp the situation. He was from a planet where the only thing magical that happened was in the movies they showed kids. He had never seen anything like this in his life. He wanted to downright refuse Sabra, but looking at all the destruction Abeer could do tampered down his fear a little bit. _

_**"Die, bitch!"** Abeer screamed, slicing Sabra in her stomach. She screamed and fell down, and Jaehyun cried out for her. Jaehyun couldn't help but feel responsible in some way. If she didn't try and stick her neck out in hopes that Jaehyun would cooperate, she wouldn't be injured on the ground in front of him right now._

_"Sabra!" Jaehyun yelled, looking at her from his cage. Sabra clutched her stomach, and blood spilled across her dress. Abeer looked at her, and Jaehyun could have sworn he saw sadness pass across the Titan's face for a split second._

**_"She will die here."_ ** _Abeer mumbled, walking out of the room and shutting the door. Jaehyun saw Sabra open her eyes and she glanced at him._

 **_"He's an idiot."_ ** _Sabra croaked out. **"Jaehyun, listen to me."** Jaehyun was at a loss, but he followed her instructions._

_**"Do not be afraid. I'm giving you my power. All of it. You're meant for this. I had visions that a human would save everyone in the future, and even though you don't want this destiny, fate never stopped for anyone. You're meant to do this. Accept it, and we can actually save people. Together."** Jaehyun found himself nodding. Sabra closed her eyes and she began to glow. Jaehyun watched the scene in wonder. Sabra ascended into the sky, and ribbons of light shot into Jaehyun's chest. Jaehyun found it didn't hurt, but rather he felt himself become more complete. Once it was all over, Sabra was gone and the room became dark again._

_Jaehyun touched his chest in amazement. Sabra did as she said. Jaehyun didn't know what this meant now, but he would figure it out. Later in the day, the guards let him out of his cage, and he knew he was on the way to his own execution. He didn't say a word, but he hoped that Sabra would help him out of this so he wouldn't die._

_**"I am angered. I had to kill my own wife. I had to, I know I did, but it still doesn't hurt any less."** Jaehyun found Abeer's words to be a load of bullshit. He didn't have to kill Sabra at all, but he didn't dare speak his thoughts._

_**"She spoke to you last, boy. What did she say? Tell me, and I might not kill you."** Jaehyun doubted that._

_"She told me of what the Titan's used to be like before your rule." Jaehyun simply said. Abeer nodded. Jaehyun felt his fingertips tingle, and he furrowed his eyebrows. He was beginning to feel weird. He immediately collapsed on the ground, and he yelled. The pressure in his head began to increase until it was unbearable._

**_"What is the matter with him?"_ ** _Abeer demanded. Jaehyun would have liked to know as well. Soon, his eyes turned gold and he abruptly stopped screaming. He stood up calmly and Abeer looked at him with wild eyes._

 **_"You're a fool, Abeer. You've always been."_ ** _Jaehyun spoke, but he had the voice of Sabra. Jaehyun could think for himself, but he felt Sabra's presence with him. It didn't scare him as much as it probably should have._

_**"Sabra? You still transfered your powers to him? How? You were left for dead!"** _

_**"I didn't just transfer my powers to him, my soul entered his body as well. Bodies can be vessels too, you must know this. I have a feeling this is just the beginning, but I will be back. Jaehyun will be with me, and we will end you for once and all. Enjoy your time now."** Sabra spoke. Jaehyun put his hands together and closed his eyes. A blinding light encased him, and he was completely gone from the Titan ship._

 

_Jaehyun breathed in and out. His clothes were battered (he had been without a bath and stuck in a cage for days on end) but he was back on his division's Gaean ship. He could tell because of the employees who were looking at him with concern and wonder. Jaehyun stood up and ignored all of them. He needed to find Junmyeon. He needed to talk to him, reason with him at least. People from his division tried to get his attention, but he wasn't focused on them. He was focused on one man and one man only. Junmyeon._

_The door to Junmyeon's office was open, and Junmyeon sat in his office with a woman with red hair and tan skin. She was beautiful, but Junmyeon had his head down, like he was thinking. Jaehyun stormed in there and shut the door._

_"She needs to get out." Jaehyun demanded. Junmyeon shot up out of his seat. Jaehyun could tell he was suprised he had made it out alive._

_"How did he get here?" The woman asks. Junmyeon turns to her and sighs._

_"Ketzi'ah, please." Jaehyun's eyes widened. He remembers seeing her at the duel he and Junmeyon had a while ago._

_"She was there? You had a Titan in Gaea right under everyone's noses? You're a goddamn disgrace! What would you father say?" Jaehyun spat. Junmyeon tapped his chin._

_"My father...he can't say anything anymore." Junmyeon looked in Jaehyun's eyes and Jaehyun stood back in realization._

_"You sacrificed your own father. You monster. Why? Why would you do this?" Junmyeon closed his eyes._

_"For all my life, I've lived under my father's shadow. I had to either be on his level or be better than him, and that was just a task I didn't know I could complete. Years ago I had researched on the strongest beings in this universe to see if they could help me, and Titans came up. I did not konw about their habits back then (only the bare minimum) but I knew well enough that they were dangerous. I was willing to risk that. I needed to be the hero Gaea wanted me to be. I needed to be on top. I deserved that. I had been in relations with Ketzi'ah for quite some time, and she finally was able to get Abeer to approve of me getting a taste of Titan power. It's very strong. I was going to be on top. I am on top, no one can stop me least of all you." Junmyeon said, the last part filled with disgust. Ketzi'ah stood and waltzed over to Jaehyun._

_"Hm, I sense energy off of him as well." Ketzi'ah's eyes widen. "It's Titan energy. How?" Jaehyun didn't answer her. She stepped back. Junmyeon stepped forward._

_"You want to prove yourself to me? Fight me." Junmyeon spoke, getting into a fighting stance. Jaehyun figured Sabra would help him through this, too, so he got into a stance as well, and Junmyeon came at him full speed. Jaehyun barely missed his hands. Sabra didn't give an ounce of help, and by the end of it, Jaehyun was bruised, battered, and bleeding. He knew he looked like hell, and he slumped against the wall. Junmyeon had a single gash running across his cheek, and blood poured from it, running down his face. Blood was getting into Jaehyun's eyes. He saw red._

**_"Say a word, and I'll kill you, and I'll kill them all. You're all weak and I'm strong. I will kill you all."_ ** _Junmyeon growled, and Jaehyun heard traces of Abeer slip into his voice. Ketzi'ah clapped her hands._

_"Wonderful brawl! I'm leaving the rest to you. Junmyeon dear, don't forget about the supply we need soon. We'll be in touch." Ketzi'ah spoke, opening the door and walking out. After she left, the door instantly swung open, and Lucas came walking into the room. Jaehyun was going to black out soon, he could feel himself going under. He tried to listen to the conversation, and he heard Lucas talking about Titans. How would Lucas know about that shit? Jaehyun mentally groaned. Just someone else he couldn't trust. He instantly closed his eyes, falling asleep._

 

Jaehyun's eyes shot open, and he looked around. The lights were still pulsating, but he raised his arms and slapped the machine.

"Stop it! I know now! I know!" He shouted. The lights gradually stopped, and the chamber turned white again. Hands pulled the door open, and the needles were extracted from his head. Kun brought some antiseptic wipes and wiped the sides of his head with them. He helped him out of the machine and everone looked at him.

"What do you know?" Kun asked.

"Everything." Jaehyun spoke. "I know how to stop Junmyeon." Jaehyun didn't know if this would work, but he had to try right now.

"Sabra?" He asked aloud. Everyone else was confused, but Jaehyun paid them no mind. Soon, his chest began to glow.

_"I thought I'd never hear from you again. Let's finish out our destiny, Jaehyun."_


	27. èr shí qī / 二十七 (twenty-seven)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You did a really good job." Junmyeon knew he should have said something, but the sudden urge to pummel Jaehyun until his face bled overtook him, so he stalked past him and hit his shoulder against Jaehyun's. Myeong wasn't one to miss a detail, so he cornered Junmyeon as he was leaving the arena.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chap is more like a filer

Junmyeon knew his ship was almost to Dione, but even though he knew he had Titan help behind him, he was nervous. Ketzi'ah was telling him over and over again she felt something shifting in the air, and he almost wrote her off as being annoying, but he had to remind himself she was way more in tune with the universe than he would ever be. 

He felt like his time was up. But that couldn't be the case.

"Sir, we have firepower behind us. How do you want to approach the planet?" Junmyeon's advisor Kyungsoo asked.

"Strong. Make a barrier and make sure this ship enters from the backside of the planet. I've studied the land of Dione, and if the underground was going to be anywhere, they wouldn't be in the mainland." Kyungsoo nodded and went to the back of the ship to ask. Junmyeon couldn't help but think about the fight he and Jaehyun had all that time ago, and he couldn't understand why. It kept flashing in his mind at the most random times, and he couldn't do anything about them.

It was something that still haunted him.

 

_"Fuck!" Junmyeon screamed as Jaehyun body slammed him down onto the ground. He was not on his game today, and it was apparent that Ketzi'ah had lied to him when she said she was going to help him. Junmyeon had fought Jaehyun hard, the whole arena was shaking with tension as to who was going to win. Myeong said this fight needed to happen, and that Jaehyun was a worthy opponent to challenge him for chief._

_Jaehyun already had Taeyong - the only person Junmyeon would trust within a ten foot pole for emotional support - he couldn't take his position away, too. Being chief was like what being President was like a long time ago (based on the books Junmyeon has read). Junmyeon went into the arena, and he knew Ketzi'ah had glamoured herself so she could watch the fight. Junmyeon (being the person he was) also asked her for some help, but laying on the ground with his whole body hurting he knew he wasn't going to get any._

_Myeong had to fight someone before he became chief, and Junmyeon tried to move heaven and hell to get his father to drop it. His father would have none of it, and Junmyeon's harbored an even bigger penchant of hate for him than he already had. Junmyeon's father was a saint to Gaea, but Junmyeon knew who he really was. A cheater. Myeong had cheated on Junmyeon's mother and ran her out of their mansion. Last Junmyeon had asked about her, she had moved to the Western side of Gaea. She could be off the planet living her life for all he knows, but he's older now. Wishing his mother would come back and that he'd have one big happy family again was childish and he was far from a child._

_"Did I win?" Jaehyun asked. "He's been down for ten seconds!" Myeong stood up from the seat he was in and shushed the audience._

_"Jung Yoonoh has won this challenge!" Those words shattered any dreams Junmyeon had. He forced himself to stand up and he swallowed defeat like a bitter pill. Jaehyun was coming his way and he bowed to him._

_"You did a really good job." Junmyeon knew he should have said something, but the sudden urge to pummel Jaehyun until his face bled overtook him, so he stalked past him and hit his shoulder against Jaehyun's. Myeong wasn't one to miss a detail, so he cornered Junmyeon as he was leaving the arena._

_"I did not teach you to be a sore loser." Junmyeon looked at the ground._

_"I don't care what you taught me." Myeong sighed and looked away from Junmyeon._

_"You're a grown man. You can't hate me forever because of my horrible actions long ago. I tried to reach out to your mother years ago so I could apoligize, but she never answered. I'm sorry she left the way she did. I am. You need to let go of this aggression you have towards me, towards your mother, towards your old advisors for leaving; you have to forgive and forget. Only then can you truly find peace within yourself, and be a leader."_

_"Jaehyun's going to be chief because of this fight. Everything I did; everything I trained for was for nothing. Just a waste of my life. I could have been doing anything else but no; I decided to follow my fraud of a father's footsteps. Well fuck this. Jaehyun has this for now, but I will get to where I deserve to be." Junmyeon spat, walking away from his father's form. Myeong kept yelling for Junmyeon, but the man just ignored him in favor of going to find Ketzi'ah. When he found her, she was perched on a bench outside the arena._

_"What the fuck was that?" Junmyeon snapped at her. Ketzi'ah scoffed._

_"Did I promise to help you? Even if I wanted to, Abeer wouldn't let me. He says you're not ready yet." Junmyeon gave a grim smile._

_"How am I not ready yet? I've did my studies, I've proven myself a worthy vessel. Give me what I want or so help me I will make sure Gaea destroys that planet." Ketzi'ah gave a horrid cackle that grated on Junmyeon's ears._

_"Just gonna pretend you didn't say that. Titans could crush your ass like that." She snaps in the air. "Listen. You were meant to lose this fight; the student has become better than the teacher." Junmyeon would look like the world's biggest asshole if he just snapped and punched Ketzi'ah in the face right now, but he was close._

_"You don't know what you're talking about woman."_

_"Yes I do. You needed to lose this fight so you could channel and internalize every ounce of rage you feel, and Abeer will be able to use and feed off of it all. You won't be the vessel necessarily; that's too risky. The vessel will be in something no one will suspect. Now, I have a plan." Junmyeon leaned in to hear her._

_"What is it?"_

_"Jaehyun's chief now. You set up a place where we can attack that's not Gaea, and we'll go there. Say you've tracked Titan activity or something of that nature, and make sure Jaehyun's the leader for this mission. Once that's done, we'll kidnap him and use him as a sacrifice." Junmyeon leans back and nods._

_"Alright. I'll start tomorrow."_

 

Junmyeon remembers he chose Gaspra because of it's unlikely location. Junmyeon also didn't trust Abeer either, so he offered another sacrifice in case ( _a big case_ ) the head-strong son of a bitch Jaehyun managed to escape the Titan's grasp. He offered his father. It was one of the most painful things he's ever done, and he'll never forget the face of his father before that Titan killed him and took his soul. It was grueseome as it was terrifying, and Junmyeon knew he should never cross Abeer. That could be done to him.

"I have to win." Junmyeon whispers to himself. He has to.

 

Zitao's base was booming with people. Jaehyun and Taeyong had woke up to the shouting of Mark and Taeil outside of their door, and once they were fully dressed, he saw Luhan, Zitao, and Yifan discussing something.

"I'm gonna go see what they're talking about." Taeyong smiled at Jaehyun and kissed his cheek.

"See you later." Taeyong walked off and Jaehyun stepped into their three-way circle.

"So there's people from Phobos and Metis here. Do we have a plan?" Zitao nods.

"We're going to start sending people out in a few minutes. Time wise Junmyeon could be here in a day or two, or even less. We have to start moving. Yifan and Ode are going to go to the Dionian government and explain to them why we need their backup, and Luhan will guide the rest of you." Jaehyun clears his throat.

"Everyone, we all need to gather together and have a meeting. I have some information that could help us win this fight." Yifan furrowed his eyebrow.

"If you say so." Jaehyun gathered everyone from his division and shut the doors to Zitao's office.

"Kun and Ten's machine worked. I was able to get in touch with my memories." 

"What did you see?" Doyoung asks.

"What happned was I got kidnapped. There was a Titan Queen and her name was Sabra. She looked way different from what Titans look like now, and it's because during Abeer's rule Titans switched from eating berries that grow on their planet to eating the souls of other beings. Junmyeon had taken advantage of this to gain power and struck a deal with Abeer that he could get human souls. Sabra was a good Titan, and the name of their planet isn't Planet X; It's Osiris. Abeer had killed her in front of my face, but she had used my body as a vessel to give me her power. Sabra's energy is inside of me." Mark scrunches up his nose.

"That didn't sound right." Taeil proceeds to flick Mark on his ear.

"How does that help us?" Sicheng asked.

"If I can access Sabra, then she can fight Junmyeon and maybe even Abeer to end his horrid rule and get Titans to how they used to be. They weren't black creatures; they were more beautiful. Sabra was locked up because Abeer locked her up. She didn't agree with what Abeer was doing, but Abeer is a very strong man. He  _killed_ her. We're going into something that could very well end up with people dying. I just needed to tell you guys this." Silence falls over the room at the severity of the situation.

"Can you access her?" Luhan asks. Jaehyun nods. Jaehyun closes his eyes and calls out Sabra's name. His eyes begin to turn gold, and Sabra's voice comes out of his mouth.

_"Hello. I am Sabra, former Titan Queen. Because Jaehyun lost his memories, I stayed in hibernation. I cannot be accessed unless the vessel actively knows I'm here. Abeer and Junmyeon are a team now; I assume you all know about the necklace. That is how Abeer is with Junmyeon; you can't give your powers without your energy being with the host. They are linked together. It's going to be hard beating him, but Jaehyun will be the only one able to fight him head-on. Jaehyun, note that Junmyeon has become stronger since the last time you fought him. I can feel his energy from here. He's not far away from this planet. Because I've been dormant for a long time, it'll be like shaking the nerves off when I use my abilities. It won't hinder me though, I can tell you that."_

"You know what happened between Junmyeon and I, right?" Lucas asks. He knows Jaehyun is  _still_ on the fence about him, and he doesn't want that anymore. Sabra nods.

 _"I know. I can see the world through Jaehyun's eyes, but I can also sense the intentions of others. Jaehyun, this boy is not one to fear. I look forward to fighting alongside all of you."_ Jaehyun blinks and his eyes return to their normal color.

"How does that feel?" Yuta asks, looking Jaehyun up and down.

"Like I'm talking but I'm not. I'm fully aware of what's happening when Sabra takes over, it's like I'm in my mind. We can't talk at the same time, so she's usually talking in my head." Taeyong blanches.

"Does that mean she was present when we..." Jaehyun shakes his head.

"I wasn't aware she was there, so she was dormant still." Taeyong heaves a sigh of relief. 

"Mina needs to be safe somewhere." Jungwoo says, pointing to Mina who's sitting right next to Zhi and Xiao.

"Who can watch over her?" Zhi asks. "Mina will not be out on the battlefield." Jungwoo raises his hand.

"I'll keep her on the base. I'm done being in the front line,  _Divine Vendetta_ and Lysithea was all the action I needed." Some chuckle at that.

"Yifan and Ode are going to leave to talk to the head of the Dionian government. Phobos and Metis are outside with Hanbin and his crew. Turns out they're from Metis, go figure." Zitao says, stretching. "We have work to do. In this instance, we need people who are going to protect Jaehyun. Jaehyun is the last phase when we have most of Junmyeon's armor cleared out. Jaehyun cannot and I repeat  _cannot_ _get hurt._ As Sabra just said, Jaehyun's the only one who has the capibility of actually ending the ugly bastard."

"You know we'll protect you." Yuta says. Johnny nods.

"We're bros for life! We got your back." Johnny says.

"Wait. Junmyeon is coming here because the underground kidnapped Taeyong. How do we set this up?" Doyoung interjects. The door bursts open, and in walks Heechul.

"You all should know that it was I who made that kidnapping look so sophisticated and real." Jaehyun smiles.

"How long were you outside the door listening?" Heechul looks around guiltily.

"The whole time. But that doesn't matter! Leave it up to me to make Taeyong look kidnapped. Let him think he's going to get Taeyong, but then bam! firepower comes out." Taeyong rolls his eyes.

"I'm tired of being a diversion."

"Pretty works!" Yuta gushes, giving Taeyong a toothy smile. Taeyong glared at Yuta who did nothing but laugh and slump into Sicheng's side.

 

Yifan and Ode were impressed by how the Capital building of the Dionian government looked. Glass everywhere. 

"Jesus, they could at least put pops of color in here." Ode says, glancing around at the pristine set up. Yifan snorts.

"That's not their objective." Yifan and Ode turn to the door they were instructed to come to, and Yifan steps up, knocking. He steps back, and Choi Seunghyun greeted them.

"Yifan, you better make this quick." Seunghyun said, walking around to sit at a table. Ode looked at Yifan confused.

"We know each other." Yifan tells her. Yifan sees Jiyong and Youngbae sitting at the table as well.

"The files I sent you are verified and true. Kim Junmyeon is a threat to other planets as well as the one he reigns over, especially that one." Seunghyun nods.

"What does this have to do with us?" Yifan sighs. Seunghyun can be a tough nut to crack.

"This matters to you because a plan is going to be executed whether we have your support or not, but it would be better if we had your support." Jiyong eyes him.

"What the hell are you doing, Yifan?"

"We got an underground orgainization in Gaea to fake kidnap Junmyeon's fiance (one that he kidnapped himself and forced into marriage, may I add), and we're going to confront him about the horrifc things he's been doing here on this planet. Someone you want to arrest for selling illegal weapons is under my protection, and he's decided to set up base here. I will buy the land his base sits on if that's what it takes. He's useful. He's giving us the firepower to fight Junmyeon with everything we have. I can't let him ruin another life, or sacrifice another life to a Titan." Youngbae gasps.

"Titan? He's been fucking with  _Titans?"_ Yifan nods. Seunghyun closes his eyes.

"You do realize you've brought a threat to our planet without our consent first, right?" Yifan sits back in his seat.

"I'm very aware. Anything that goes haywire, we will take full responsibility for, and Lysithea will personally compensate you for. But this has to be done. Junmyeon cannot continue to rule when he's siding with dangerous beings. Beings that could very well come to your planet and eat the souls of your people as well. It's happening on Gaea. It'll happen to you." Seunghyun is quiet for a few minutes.

"Alright, you son-of-a-bitch, you've convinced me. You have our support. Albeit, if this goes wrong, you owe me big time." Seunghyun and Yifan shake hands.

"Glad you could see it my way, Tabi." Seunghyun scowled.

"Don't call me that anymore. Jiyong refuses to drop it." Jiyong pouts from his seat.

"But it's cute!"

 

"This is weird." Hanbin notes, sitting around women he fully knows wishes he was dead. Junhoe agrees.

"You all hate us for our job, but we're just living life how we want? Who cares if we've become a public disgrace? We don't even  _live_ on Metis anymore." Lisa scowels at him.

"That shit doesn't matter. You were born on Metis." Chanwoo sighs.

"Can we just put this aside so we can fight? We have to defeat this crazy man, you guys haven't seen the dude. He's scary as fuck." Jiwon nods.

"Dude's a real creep." Rose looks down the hallway.

"Did it ever occur to you to realize that your job isn't a very good one? That it made you seem as if you had no pride in your planet?" Jinhwan rolls his eyes.

"And did it ever occur to you that we were never the King's favorite unlike you four? That you all had it way easier than us? We all know the King and Queen adopted all of us because the Queen couldn't have kids, and she wanted many of them. When she died, the King took his liking towards all of you because you all reminded him of the Queen and her attributes, and less towards us. Fuck pride. You wouldn't understand, anways." Jisoo is quiet.

"The King says he misses you all." Yunhyeong snorts.

"Well tell him he can suck it." Lisa frowns.

"Don't talk about him that way!" Jennie puts her hand on Lisa's shoulder.

"Stop. They've chosen their paths in life, and we've chosen ours. Let's just join today as brothers and sisters, and then afterwards we can leave and never do this again." Donghyuk nods.

"Only for today."

 

Xiao knew Mina was safe with Jungwoo, but Zhi went with Zitao, and she was alone. Taeyong was right beside her (and that made her feel so much better), but it didn't matter. She was going to face Hakyeon again after all that happened on Phobos.

"I'm going to throw up." Xiao announced. Taeyong chuckled.

"Relax. I'm pretty sure it's going to go better than you think." Xiao eyed him.

"Really? Can it when I killed his mother and left him alone!" Taeyong gave her a flat look.

"We're aware of these facts, but he might understand why you did what you did. And if he doesn't, you gotta take what he dishes out. Only then can you truly get over the anxiety you have about seeing him." After a little while, Taeyong hears Yuta shouting.

"Ramos!" Yuta says, hugging the tan man.

"Yuta, it's good to see you brother." Yuta smiles wide.

"Why'd you come here?" 

"After you left, I decided that fighting for the greater good was something that I could do rather than just trying my luck with women. I decided to join the military. It's not bad at all, and with Hakyeon ruling it's even better." Xiao stands up.

"Empress Xiao." Ramos says. Xiao tucks hair behind her ear.

"Just Xiao, now." Xiao says. 

"How are you?" Ramos asks. Xiao looks around.

"I'm better."

"I'm glad you are." A voice says behind Xiao. She turns around and there Hakyeon is, dressed in Phobian garb and all. Xiao got a sense of deja-vu, like she was back at the palace again. 

"H-Hakyeon." Xiao says, looking down at the ground. Hakyeon comes up to her and smiles.

"Don't look so timid." Xiao finally meets his eyes, and all she sees is kindness. She begins to cry.

"Don't you hate me?" She asks, sniffling. Hakyeon cups her face.

"I could never hate you. I should be thanking you. Although it did hurt to know that my mother is gone, I'm not too upset about it. She ruled with an iron fist, and Phobos is finally a planet I can be proud of, because I'm ruling it the way I want to. I know it's better than what my mother had ever done. And I am so sorry that you were forced to be subjected to everything she dished out. I'm sorry about our child. I'm so sorry." Xiao was torn. On one hand, she had gotten along with Zhi so well, and she loved Mina to death. But on the other, she had history with Hakyeon, and while it wasn't pretty, Hakyeon was her first love.

She never really stopped loving him. But that was dangerous because she didn't want to lose what she built up with Zhi and Mina. Xiao scolded herself. There was no time to think about her troubled love life when there's a fight to be had. Xiao looks down and squeezes Hakyeon's wrists.

"Let's fight together." Hakyeon smiles.

"Was there any other option?"

 

Zitao headed back to the base.

"Alright, play time is over people. We have visuals on Gaean ships coming to enter Dione's atompshere. The fight is going to happen very soon, so everyone needs to get into a position, and know your role. Heechul and Hyunwoo are together making it look like Taeyong's been kidnapped. Jaehyun, we need you to be surrounded by your men; they're your shield. People from Phobos and Metis, you all need to come outside with me and get set up at your stations in the Mainland. Yifan and Ode are at the Captial building in the Mainland, and I told them to stay there. We roll out now, people! Come on, let's go!" As people march out and hop into vehicles, Zitao pulls a mask over his mouth.

"It's showtime."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fun?fact: junmyeon's character is loosely based off of azula from avatar. the way she acts (albeit, she's not as gruesome as junmyeon) and her true intentions are mirrored here.


	28. èr shí bā  / 二十八 (twenty-eight)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "He told them if they weren't ready to die for Gaea then they might as well stay home and be cowards. You can imagine how that riled people up. Junmyeon gave them a mission; kill at all costs if anyone gets in the way of getting Taeyong." 
> 
> "This is about to be a slaughterhouse." Heechul whispered. Taeyong felt sick to his stomach. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> final showdown pt.1!

Everyone was in position, and the mainland still had people hustling and bustling around it. Seunghyun decided that causing a planet-wide panic was probably the worst idea. People could disperse as they may, and he knew the guys down on the battlefield would take care of the rest.

"I hope Zitao planned this right." Ode says. Yifan sighs.

"I know he did. We'll come out on top." Junmyeon's ship lands where it can, and citizens of Dione are confused as to why. Heechul, Hyunwoo and Taeyong were standing out in the open, Taeyong tied up. Taeyong knew he had nothing to fear, but being back in the presence of Junmyeon again was something he wasn't particuarly fond of. Junmyeon steps off the ship, his advisors behind him. Taeyong catches the eye of Kyungsoo, and he gives a small smile.

"Give me my fiance and end this foolish madness." Junmyeon says, voice booming. "You won't like the consequences if you don't." Hyunwoo gives a dark chuckle.

"You see, I would hand him over if you were a good person. But if you were a good person, there would have been no need for us to do this. Just step down from the throne and admit to what you've done. Then you can have Taeyong." Junmyeon paced around laughing.

"If you think...for a  _second_ that I'm giving up what's rightfully mine because of my  _birthright,_ then you've got your head up your ass." Hyunwoo scoffs.

"Either you do what we've demanded, or things get ugly." Junmyeon walks away.

"They were going to get ugly the minute you decided to take him. Don't worry Taeyong. I'm coming to get you." Taeyong smiled.

 _"Help me!"_ He says. Junmyeon nods, and Zitao is behind a pillar.

"That's the signal! Go, go, go! Start throwing out smoke bombs!" Pull civilians out of the way, and start attacking his soldiers once they come down!" Zitao instructs. Various groups of people throw smoke bombs, and soon nothing can be seen. Coughs are heard, and Junmyeon is furious. He can't see Taeyong anymore, and he doesn't want to use his abilities and outright confirm what these idiots are claiming about him. He sifts through the crowd until he gets a hold of Chanyeol.

"Alert the other advisors of my whereabouts. I'm going to the Dionian Capital building." Chanyeol nods as Junmyeon lets go of his shirt and turns away. Chanyeol runs to try and find the rest of his friends, and Junmyeon barks orders at soldiers to start fighting. It's all out chaos in the streets of Dione. The Gaean soldiers take out their guns and begin to fire as the smoke dissipates. Zitao's men shoot right back, and the screams of shocked and scared civilians ring through the air. Zitao ducks behind a pillar and he can feel the sweat running from his head down his cheek.

He had never been in war at Gaea. This is what war feels like.

 

"The plan just started." Jungwoo told Jaehyun. There was a radio where everyone who had an earpiece could tap into and give their status. Jaehyun nodded and proceeded to pace around Zitao's base. They were not to leave until Zitao gave them the go-ahead to step onto the battlefield. Jaehyun wasn't okay with that at first; he needed to make sure with his own eyes that Taeyong wasn't going to be taken again, but Taeyong had assured Jaehyun that he would be okay.

"He said he put his trust in Hyunwoo, but that doesn't mean shit. He better be okay or all hell is breaking loose." Yuta scoffed.

"All hell is breaking loose already. What are you gonna do, raise more? Just calm down, Taeyong's okay, Heechul said so." Jaehyun sighed.

"I just want this all to be over with." Johnny nods.

"You said it. I hope they're getting rid of the soldiers now. Surprising that Lucas decided to to with Zitao at the last minute. You think he's still trying to prove something?" Jaehyun bit his lip.

"I hope he didn't go on the battlefield for that. He's got Jungwoo worried half to death." And Jaehyun wasn't lying. Jungwoo did have Mina with him, but the young man was worried. Ever since his stupid partner decided to go out and be a hero Jungwoo hasn't been able to think about anything but him. He wouldn't know what to do with himself if Lucas got hurt. He refused to think the worst. 

"He'll be fine. Taeyong's fine, and no one's reported anyone being injured yet. It's all fine." Jungwoo said, cutting everyone off from their talk. It fell silent in the room after that. Jungwoo hoped his words were true.

 

After the smoke began to dissipate, Taeyong found himself untied and face-to-face with Kyungsoo and Minseok.

"Oh thank god!" Taeyong said, hugging each of them. 

"We're so glad to see you again. We have some news for you." Kyungsoo said. Heechul came around a corner with Minhyuk from Hyunwoo's team.

"Get over here! You can't be talking in plain sight!" They all scurried to the street corner.

"What's the news?" Taeyong asked after they had all found a hiding spot.

"Junmyeon's heading to the Dionian Capital building; presumably to talk to the leader of Dione about what all's occuring. He's probably going to charm the leader, get in his good graces, and have everyone here either arrested or executed on the spot." Kyungsoo explained. Taeyong gasped.

"He can't go there." Minseok nods.

"If he does, this'll end in more blood than anyone ever thought."

"No, I mean he can't go there because  _Yifan's_ in there! Right now!" Kyungsoo and Minseok's eyes widen.

"Yifan? Why is he here?"

"He's in on the plan! Oh, damnit, we need to alarm everybody. Junmyeon brought out the big guns; these are super trained soldiers." 

"He told them if they weren't ready to die for Gaea then they might as well stay home and be cowards. You can imagine how that riled people up. Junmyeon gave them a mission; kill at all costs if anyone gets in the way of getting Taeyong." 

"This is about to be a slaughterhouse." Heechul whispered. Taeyong felt sick to his stomach. 

 

Lucas had signed up for more than he bargined for. When he pulled a family out of the smoke, they looked at him with wide eyes.

"What's going on? Are we going to be safe? Oh my god..." Lucas pulled them into a building.

"Stay in here. It's going to be fine, we're the good guys." The wife began to scream.

"My child! I don't know where my son is!" Lucas looks around as he sees a Gaean soldier outright shove a young woman out of the way as he makes his way towards one of Zitao's men. They begin shooting each other, and the Gaean soldier hits Zitao's man right in his side. The woman won't stop screaming, and the man slumps on the ground, clutching his side. Lucas wants to run and help him, but he needs to find this family's son.

"What does he look like?" The wife describes what he's wearing and what he looks like, and Lucas can see the little boy hiding behind a pillar on the side of the street. 

"Your son is just on the other side of this road. I'm going to go get him. Go in this store, and stay there." Lucas instructs, opening the door. They're met with the faces of Phobian and Metian soldiers, and they calmly sit on the ground. Lucas quickly makes his way to the pillar, but he sees more chaos unfold. Some Metian soldiers have made a wall, and Gaean soldiers are shooting, not caring what or who they hit. Lucas is appaled. When they were soldiers, that's not how Myeong taught them at all. He scoffs inside his head. These soldiers are being taught by a madman.

Lucas wishes he had earplugs to cover up the screams being heard. He knows Yifan is going to have a lot of paying back to do. There are various objects on fire, windows of stores are broken in, bulletholes are pierced through signs and buildings, and there's blood on the ground of the streets. Lucas predicts they've only been fighting for twenty minutes, but there's already destruction. He can't imagine dragging this out for a day. Lucas makes his way over to the pillar and grabs the little boy. He's looking around when he hears a whisper.

"I'll cover you! Go!" Lucas reasons there must be a Gaean soldier around, so he nods to the man named Jooheon and runs, clutching the little boy to his chest hard. If the boy feels any pain by how hard Lucas is gripping, he doesn't make a sound as bulletshots are heard. Lucas hears a groan and on instinct he stops to see who it is. Jooheon is gritting his teeth in pain, clutching his side. Lucas shouts for him.

"Jooheon!" Lucas says, making his way over to him.

"What the fuck are you doing? Get out of here!" Jooheon yells. "I'll be fine, I'm calling for back-up." 

"No man, get up. I'm gonna help you."

"What, with a kid in your arms? Don't be stupid, get the kid to a safe place, then get your ass back out here and pop as many caps in these bastard's asses as you can, alright?" Jooheon says. Lucas looks down at Jooheon's hand and sees a lot of blood. He notices the little boy is looking as well, and he shields the boy's eyes. He makes his way toward the store and lets the little boy walk to his family. Lucas sighs and digs his nails into his hand. He remembers Sicheng and Johnny coming back from Gaea on their deathbeds. Seeing Jooheon like that only brought bad memories. A group of men come to the front, and Lucas sees one of them is Zitao.

"Alright, some of you need to come with me. I need a lot of men handling mainland; there's still civilians caught up in this crossfire. I wish we could have done something to warn them of this. Intel just came from Taeyong that Junmyeon is heading to the Dionian Capital building to possibly make a deal with the leader of Dione. It's not going to happen of course, but just letting everyone know. We cannot let Junmyeon see Yifan. Does everyone understand? Anyone who comes with me needs to know we have Jaehyun with us, and nothing can happen to him. Absolutely nothing. Jaehyun staying unharmed is our top priority right now." Lucas steps up.

"I'm coming with you." Lucas knows he was hurt during the Gaspra battle, but now that he's not hurt, he plans to help as much as possible. If Jaehyun needed to be protected, then that's what he was going to do.

 

"Maybe we can intercept him. Stall until Jaehyun and everyone else gets to the Capital building." Minhyuk offers. Heechul nods.

"Good idea. But how?" Kyungsoo smirks.

"Leave it up to us." Kyungsoo says. He taps on his watch a few times, and static can be heard.

"Sir?" Kyungsoo asks. 

"Speak." Junmyeon says. 

"We've found Taeyong. He was hiding from all the chaos in a street alley. We have him with us now. What do we do?" There was a pause.

"I'm sending you my coordinates right now. Meet me there." Junmyeon says. Soon a beep is heard, and the static stops. Minseok looked at the coordinates and entered them on his watch.

"He's not far from the Capital building at all. Let's go." Minseok says. 

 

Junmyeon soon saw Ketzi'ah walking towards him and he rolled his eyes.

"What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be on Osiris?" Ketzi'ah yawned.

"He's gonna help you. How'd you convince him anyways?" Junmyeon shrugged.

"If these people take Taeyong away from me, then what I've been doing will be released, and there's no way you'll get human souls without having an all out war. And I guarantee that some planet will be able to infiltrate your planet and wipe out your people. He agreed, but I knew he wasn't happy about having to aid me at all."

"With you actively using the abilites Abeer granted you, isn't that confirming what they already know?" Ketzi'ah asked.

"Only the people who think they have something on me. But they'll be eleminated before they can say anything. Abeer better help, or there's no way he's getting anymore souls. He'll be ended before he knows it." Ketzi'ah shakes her head.

"I don't know how Abeer hasn't let you die yet. You speak so badly on his name when he's the one who granted you with the power you have now." Junmyeon gives a wicked smirk.

"I'm the only one in a big enough position to give him what he wants without having much consequence. He doesn't want to waste that. Now get out of here, Taeyong is coming." Ketzi'ah rolls her eyes.

"I'm here to tell you I sense a lot of energy. It's Titan energy, and I have no idea where it's coming from because it isn't from you or me but we're the only one's influenced by anything. I don't understand it, but be careful. Someone has the upper hand here, and it might not be you." Ketzi'ah snapped her fingers, and Junmyeon blinked. It was as if she was never there. Junmyeon didn't understand that either; Ketzi'ah was never wrong on her senses. If that had to be the case, then he could trust nothing. He soon saw Taeyong walking towards him, Kyungsoo and Minseok on either side of him. Junmyeon was waiting on a bench where he figured the metro would show up if it was running. The streets over here towards the Capital building were mostly void, news of what was happening in lower Mainland traveling fast.

"Junmyeon?" Taeyong asks. Junmyeon stands up and Taeyong walks over towards him. Junmyeon could honestly say that he was glad to see Taeyong. He walked over to the man and set his hand upon Taeyong's shoulder.

"It's me. We're going to get you off this planet right now. I just have some business I need to attend to." Taeyong pulled on his arm.

"Can we just go now? There's so many people getting hurt, and I couldn't even help them. I don't want to be around this anymore. I've been held captive for days, Junmyeon." Taeyong states, his voice wobbling. There's some truth to that statement. Taeyong wasn't able to help people he saw bleeding and broken out on the streets.

"I really need to talk to this man. Come with me." Junmyeon said, tugging on Taeyong's hand. "I've got it from here Kyungsoo and Minseok. Just go and check on everyone else, make sure everyone's accounted for." Kyungsoo and Minseok nod, and they watch Junmyeon and Taeyong head for the Capital building.

"I didn't even know he knew our first names." Minseok said. Kyungsoo sighed.

"That man is confusing. But I hope Jaehyun's arrived."

 

"Yifan, Junmyeon's coming. I just heard over the feed. Zitao is on his way with Jaehyun." Ode says, as Yifan and Seunghyun discusss something.

"What?" Yifan says confused. Seunghyun clicks his tongue.

"You said he would just be in the Mainland. What's he doing coming here?" Yifan looks down at his lap.

"I have no idea." Yifan says distractedly.

"Yifan, you better have a good explanation for this-" Ode furrowed her eyebrows angrily at Seunghyun.

"He's been doing so much, could you be quiet for two seconds! He didn't know that tyrant would be coming here, he really was supposed to stay on the Mainland! Instead of grilling him, prepare your soldiers!" Ode snaps. Youngbae stands up.

"I'll get on it, ma'am." He mutters, walking out of the room. Ode crosses her arms and looks at Yifan. She knows the history between Junmyeon and Yifan.

"Are you okay? You don't have to see him, y'know."

"Is it selfish that I want an explanation like I have time to get one? We haven't been an item in years and all I want to do is see him and demand he turn back into the man I fell in love with. That man is far gone, I know that. But for a second, I would like him to come back and I would like him to explain why he had to do all of this. This is just madness on top of madness and it's never going to end until he either dies or gets to the root of the problem and corrects it. I know Jaehyun is going to kill Junmyeon, it's just going to happen and there's nothing I can do about it. Truly, I don't know if I would even  _want_ to do anything about that, but I just...I need an answer before he dies." Ode nods in understanding.

"If you see him before Jaehyun does, maybe you can get it." Yifan chuckles.

"There's no way that's happening. I'll die without knowing his true, real intentions and he'll die without ever explaining his side of the story to anyone who was willing to listen. These are facts, Ode." 

"Yifan, are you still in love with Junmyeon? Ode asks, not wanting to hear the answer. Yifan rubs his chin for a second.

"Yes and no. Yes because Junmyeon was my first love, and I know I was his. Your first love is someone you can't forget no matter how hard you try. But, I hate him as well. He's a horrible human being who deserves the pain and suffering that will be brought to him. Doesn't mean I want to see it with my own eyes, but he deserves it." Jiyong sits up and looks at the monitors.

"People are coming into the building who don't have passes. Youngbae! Have the guards stand at position around this building. We're being infiltrated." Yifan had seen images Ode was able to get of the Mainland and how much of a wreck it was, but he knew that was just the beginning. The real battle would happen here whether they were ready for it or not.

"I hope Jaehyun wins." Ode confesses. Yifan breathes out, closing his eyes.

"So do I." 


	29. èr shí jiǔ / 二十九 (twenty-nine)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You're way more heroic than me. I just want to kill him and be done with it. I would get satisfaction out of seeing the life drain out of his eyes." Yifan bit his lip.
> 
> "It's not even about heroics at this point. It's just about righting wrongs. I was wrong when I ran away the first time; I'm not running away again."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> final showdown pt.2, wow. we're really at the end of this fic guys. last chapter is an epilogue. i can't believe it. thank you to everyone who's given me kudos, written comments, bookmarked this fic, or just took the time to look at it. i appreciate each and every one of you for that.
> 
> this is longest fic i've ever written in my time of writing fic. i know there are things that can be fixed, but to sum it all up i'm really proud of this fic. thank you.

"We spread out, hide, and wait. Jaehyun, you need to be out in the open." Jaehyun nods. Everyone Zitao brought with him hide and Jaehyun stands at the entrance, waiting for Junmyeon to walk through those doors. Zitao made sure he warned Ode and Yifan of what was going to happen so that civilians could be evacuated out of the building. Ode informed them that the Dionian government wasn't too happy with this set-up but to hell with that. They'd just have to take a ticket and get in line.

Jaehyun last saw Junmyeon when he kidnapped the love of his life, and he couldn't wait to get his hands on the ugly fuck and absolutely pummel him until he couldn't walk straight. Jaehyun was never one for violence; even though he became a soldier he was more in it for the saving aspect rather than the fighting aspect. But he knew fighting was deserved sometimes, and this was one of those instances. He hoped Taeyong was okay; he hadn't talked to the man since this whole debacle started. Jaehyun reached deep inside his mind and called out to Sabra.

_"Are you ready for this? Please tell me you'll help." Jaehyun pleaded._

_**"Of course I'm going to help. I want justice for my people just as much as you do."** Sabra answered back.  **"He's close. I can feel his energy. He's strong."**_ That did nothing to calm Jaehyun's nerves down. Soon, Jaehyun saw Junmyeon walking with Taeyong by his side. Jaehyun clenched his fists by his sides. So this was really happening.

"What a surprise to see you here. You caught wind I was coming?" Junmyeon asked as soon as he walked into the building, facing Jaehyun. 

"Cut the bullshit. Taeyong, come over here." Taeyong began to move, but Junmyeon grabbed the man's wrist.

"He doesn't belong to you anymore."

"If you love him so much, how the fuck did he get kidnapped on your watch, huh? You're pathetic." Junmyeon's eyes flashed red.

"The only pathetic one is you, pining after a man who obviously didn't call you for help." Jaehyun gave a sick laugh. If only Junmyeon knew. 

"Enough with all of this. I'm not here for you; I'm here to talk to the Dionian leaders. I need to apoligize about everything that's happened on their planet." 

"Wow, you're apoligizing? Why don't you apoligize for all the horrific shit you've done on Gaea? You think I don't know? That Taeyong doesn't know? Who do you think set the plan to have Taeyong captured in motion? He wasn't kidnapped just because, and you know that, too. You need to turn yourself in so you can serve your time. It's only fair for all the shit you've done." Jaehyun knew if he got his hands on Junmyeon, there's no way the man would be alive to serve anytime, but it was worth saying.

"Who cares if you know? Nothing's gonna stop me; not when I'm as powerful as I am. You can't even begin to comprehend the amount of power I possess, boy. You are  _nothing_ compared to me. You hear that?  _Nothing."_

"I've been waiting years to kick your ass." Jaehyun bites out.

"Well don't just stand there." Junmyeon says, pushing Taeyong out of the way. "Kick my ass then." Jaehyun smirks.

"I've done it before, and I can sure do it again." Something about that sentence riles Junmyeon up because the next thing he knows, Junmyeon's sliding his finger over the slit in his necklace, but Jaehyun has tricks up his sleeve too.

 _"Sabra you can take over now..."_ Jaehyun says in his head. Soon, Jaehyun's eyes glow gold and he shakes his body out.

 ** _"How wonderous to fight again."_** Sabra says.  ** _"I must admit, I sort of miss it."_** Junmyeon looked at Jaehyun confused. 

"What the fuck?" Junmyeon asks.

 ** _"You think you're the only one that has otherworldly help? Jaehyun has had me: Sabra, former Titan Queen. Abeer, I know you're inside the boy. I can feel your grimey ass energy."_** Sabra spits like venom. Junmyeon's eyes glow red and he shakes his body out as well.

 ** _"You did use the boy as a vessel. Well played, wife."_** Abeer sneers. 

**_"Don't call me that. I still keep the title of Queen because I could have been a greater ruler than you. I'm going to right your wrongs today."_ **

**_"Not if I have anything to do with it."_** Junmyeon raised his hands in the air, and black tendrils began to form around him. They all formed human-sized Titans, and Junmyeon smirked.

 ** _"Kill the boy's friends. They're all in this building. Kill anymore that you see as well. A bloodbath."_** Jaehyun's eyes widened.

 _"Sabra! You can't let them do that!"_ Jaehyun yells. 

 ** _"Be a man and fight me head on. Leave your host and fight me."_** Abeer tsks.

 ** _"No, I think I'll stay in this body for a while. Being a human is way different than being a Titan. So weak and vulnerable, but yet so flexible."_** Sabra groans.

 ** _"So it shall be."_** Sabra moves Jaehyun's body so that a ball of energy shoots towards Junmyeon's body. Abeer swiftly blocks it, and shoots black daggers at Jaehyun. Sabra jumps and dodges each one of them, and they stay fighting like that; shooting to injure. One dagger knicks Jaehyun's arm, and Sabra touches it, the red blood running down.

 ** _"Well then."_** Sabra says. She creates a blinding forcefield as Abeer tries to break it with dark energy. Meanwhile, Junmyeon is silently freaking out. Abeer having control over his whole body he's not able to say anything but he know understands what Ketzi'ah was trying to tell him. Jaehyun has had an upper hand on him all along. 

He doesn't know how to feel about that. He only hopes Abeer wins.

 

The human-sized Titans began to explore, trying to find Zitao and the others. 

"We have to kill those things!" Mark whispered to Taeil from where they were hiding.

"They're Titans. I don't know if anything we have will kill them." Doyoung sighed.

"We have to try." Yuta nods.

"Agreed." As the Titans look for them, they all jump out of their hiding spots and begin to attack. Zitao madly starts shooting and everyone else begins to attack the creatures in their own ways. Mark is clawed in the face by one and he gasps in pain. Sicheng is cut very close to the cut he recieved at Gaspra, and he collapses on the ground, too stunnned to fight back. The Titan jumps on Sicheng and begins clawing at him, it's only intent is to kill. Yuta soon rapid-fire shoots at the Titan, and it falls down to the ground, weak and unmoving. 

"Oh my god! Sicheng!" Yuta says, running to his aid. There's blood caked in Sicheng's hair and side.

"Yuta." Sicheng says, and Yuta scoops Sicheng up in his arms. Looking around, Yuta can see Mark, Doyoung, and Taeil are making good work of the Titans. Lucas and Johnny are also making good work, so he finds Xiao and Zhi along with Ramos and Hakyeon.

"I need help taking Sicheng somewhere. He can't fight anymore." Hakyeon volunteers.

"I'll help you. The sword I have can make quick work of these pesky Titans." Yuta nods and all three of them leave the scene, both dragging Sicheng. Ramos looks around.

"Should we aid Jaehyun?" He asks. Xiao shakes her head.

"No. He's the only person who has enough power to match Junmyeon. We'd be all making a death wish going onto that battlefield. What we can do right now is try and find Yifan and Ode. We need to tell them what's happened." Zhi nods.

"Let's go."

 

"We've sent our troops out to deal with the Mainland. Some have stayed here, but it's not looking too good. There are these black creatures, and they've murdered at least ten men!" Youngbae says, rubbing his head. Seunghyun sighs.

"This is total madness." 

"He's here. Junmyeon's here." Yifan states. Ode nods.

"He's the only one who would be able to conjure up beings like that. Does that mean Jaehyun's not here?" Yifan shrugs helplessly.

"I have no clue. No one's talking through the feed, not even Jungwoo. I'm pretty sure he's just as much in the dark as the rest of us." Ode nods. Yifan looks at Ode.

"Ode, I have something to tell you. You're not going to like me for it, but I already made a plan with Jaehyun about how this would go. I just need a signal to tell me he's here." Ode furrowed her eyebrow.

"What plan?" Yifan had her lean down so he could whisper it in her ear. Once he was finished, Ode hauled off and socked him in his jaw.

"Are you  _crazy?_ You can't do that! That's ridiculous! That's insane! Who said it would even work?" Yifan rubbed his jaw, looking at Ode with annoyance.

"We've already talked about it and when the time comes, it will work." Ode sighed, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Yifan. I hate you." Ode said, not meaning it. Yifan gave her a grim smile.

"I know. Love you, too." Silence enveloped the room, and suddenly, the back doors slammed open.

"Oh thank  _God_ this was the room! We've been checking like...a lot!" Xiao said. "Yifan, Jaehyun's here. He and Junmyeon are in combat right now." Yifan nods at Xiao.

"Thanks for letting me know. We might as well go down there, now." Zhi looked around.

"There's this problem with the Titans crawling around this building. We don't know just how many Abeer sent out; they could be everywhere, some could have even left the building and are running rampid in the Mainland!" Zhi said, panic overtaking his voice.

"If that's the case, there are enough people (even on the Gaean side) who don't want to die. They'll deal with them accordingly. We don't have anymore access to help." Seunghyun said, biting his nail. 

"Go. Help your friend." Jiyong said, turning to Yifan. Yifan nods at him and they all leave the room, urgency in their steps.

 

**_"Just give up, Sabra! Fucking give it up. I'm the supreme entity, and you cannot compete with my power. I killed you once, don't think I'm not capable of doing it a second time. I'll finish the job this time. Unless you want to come with me, and know your place."_ **

**_"You never loved me!"_** Sabra yelled. ** _"You married me for the title!"_**

 ** _"You're as blind as ever I see. I married you because I did love you at the time, I just love my title more. Who are you to say that the act of killing you didn't haunt me day in and day out? Who are you to say that just because I did that doesn't mean I miss you? You're nothing if not ignorant."_** Sabra scoffed.

 ** _"You think I care, Abeer? Separate yourself from the boy and let's settle this properly between you and me. The boys have issues of their own."_** Abeer hummed.

 ** _"Fine."_** Junmyeon stood straight up and crouched down. He was in full control of himself now, but he began to have the horrible sensation of needing to vomit. He curled in on himself and hurled, over and over again until heaps of black goo left his throat. Jaehyun eyed him in disgust. The black goo began to take shape, and soon Abeer was standing right in the center of the room. Jaehyun forgot how tall he was. Jaehyun spread his arms out, and Sabra simply left his body, and he saw her stand next to him. 

 ** _"I must say, you are beautiful."_** Abeer notes. 

 ** _"Save the sappy shit for the next Titan on your dick. Let's end this."_** Jaehyun faced Junmyeon.

"Since when did you have a Titan?" Junmyeon asked.

"Since I left the Titan ship." Junmyeon gawked.

"Then how did you let yourself endure all that pain? If anything you could have killed me two years ago!"

"I was unaware I could access her until now. That doesn't matter. It's me and you now." Jaehyun gave a fighting stance and Junmyeon wiped black liquid from the corner of his mouth. Jaehyun visibly shuddered. 

"Come on." Jaehyun charged at Junmyeon and they began to wildly jab and punch at each other, some of the hits connecting and some of the hits being blocked. Jaehyun managed to give a sharp side kick to Junmyeon's abdomen and the man staggered back, black goo and blood flowing from his mouth. Junmyeon and Jaehyun began for upper body shots again, and Junmyeon gave a particularly hard beating to Jaehyun's head with his elbows. Jaehyun cried out in pain, his ears ringing. Junmyeon finished it off with a swift punch directly on Jaehyun's nose. Jaehyun backed up, seeing stars.

He felt his nose and was completely sure it was broken. He growled and charged for Junmyeon again, effectively bodying the man to the ground. He began to punch him in the chest, and more of that black goo left his mouth along with blood. Some of the goo got on Jaehyun's hands, but he didn't even notice. Not when he was making sure he was hurting Junmyeon. 

They didn't notice Sabra and Abeer fighting each other, albeit there's was a little more different. It was more so about who had the stronger energy rather than physical contact, but it wasn't like you couldn't see it. It was like watching an angel and a demon fight; darkness against light. 

 ** _"Enough! I'm through with this. I'm causing a rift."_** Abeer declared. Sabra zapped him on the side of his face with a beam of light.

**_"You wouldn't dare. You don't even know if you can handle that!"_ **

**_"Now you want to start caring about me?_ ** **_"_ **

**_"That could kill everyone on this planet; this planet would be no more if you do that."_ **

**_"Who says I care about a measley planet that humans inhabit? Sure it'll be a waste of food supply, but if it means the end of this...I don't care."_** Abeer closed his eyes and held his hands out. Soon, a tear was apparent in midair, and it was filled with darkness. It quickly began to suck any and everything in it's path.

**_"I can't believe you! How dare you!"_ **

**_"I don't care about this. Or you. All I care about is domination and control; and if no one's going to listen to me then everything should just perish. That's the principle of it, isn't it? Even humans pratice it. Take what they love away when they don't behave."_** Sabra shook her head.

 ** _"You're going to kill us all."_** Abeer gave a grim laugh, pointy teeth showing and all.

**_"Baby, I'm not going to die. I can't die. But everyone else will, including you."_ **

 

Everyone could see what was going on, and there was nothing to do but panic and hope that they could be saved. 

"Christ, he opened up a rift." Johnny said. Lucas furrowed his eyebrows.

"What's a rift?" 

"A rift is where another part of the universe - one that's not readily accessible - is opened. You have to be crazy powerful to do it. Rifts are the purest form of chaos, they destroy everything in their path. They're unpredictable, and destruction is really the only reason they're opened. No one in a right state of mind would do that." Luhan explained, blood smeared on his arms. Everyone was sweaty, banged-up, and just tired from fighting the Titans. 

"How can this be fixed?" Lucas asks.

"It has to be closed by the same person that opened it, or someone with an equal or greater amount of power. That's the only way." Soon, everyone was able to meet up and Yifan looked down at the scene. Taeyong had since escaped the battle and Yifan reasoned he was hiding somewhere safe. 

"Everyone. Gather round." Everyone did as asked and Yifan breathed in. 

"You all were amazing people to fight alongside. Luhan, Zitao. I love you both." Zitao furrowed his eyebrows.

"What's with the somber speech? What are you gonna do?" Yifan sighed. He went around hugging everyone.

"Something that needs to be done. Jaehyun and I both discussed it without anyone else knowing. We couldn't have anyone else find out, trying to stop us. This is the only way." Yifan shook his jacket off and made his way down the stairs to the main floor. Jaehyun and Junmyeon were fighting against the pull, trying not to get sucked into the rift.

"Abeer! I can end this! Enter my body again!" Junmyeon shouts. Abeer eyes the man and nods. He fuses himself with Junmyeon and Junmyeon shakes out. He's still in control, but he can feel Abeer's presence. 

 ** _"Jaehyun. Find Taeyong. Go to him."_** Sabra says.  ** _"Yifan and I have this part."_** Jaehyun nods. He gives Yifan a salute, and runs away towards the corridors where he saw Taeyong run. Sabra looks at Yifan and nods. Sabra enters Yifan and Junmyeon gasps.

"What the  _fuck are you doing! I'm supposed to be fighting Jaehyun!"_ He all but bellows. 

"Ending this. This madness you've caused everyone." Yifan allows Sabra to give him a push and he all but rams himself and Junmyeon straight into the rift. Junmyeon digs his fingernails into Yifan's back. It stings, but Yifan's able to take it. They both fall in, and the rift wobbles, losing some stability. 

 

Jaehyun runs and runs until he finds a door cracked open. He walks into the room and sees a Titan laid out dead, and Taeyong in the corner, head down and knees up.

"Taeyong!" Jaehyun calls out. Taeyong looks around until he sees Jaehyun. He runs and throws himself in the man's arms.

"Oh my god! You're alive! Junmyeon? What-"

"It's going to be taken care of. Yifan's got it." Taeyong eyed him.

"What do you mean by that?" Taeyong asks.

"I made sure I roughed Junmyeon up enough before Yifan's part of the plan commenced. Yifan approached me with another plan, one that he knew he couldn't tell anyone else about. After hearing it and debating about it with Sabra, I agreed. I'm not happy about the result, and I know Zitao and Ode will just about want to kill me, but this is a way we can make sure Junmyeon never comes back. If I killed him, it probably wouldn't be enough."

"What was the plan?"

Jaehyun sighs.

"C'mon. I need to go tell the information to everyone else." Jaehyun and Taeyong carefully make their way up towards the floor everyone else was residing on. He was met with a disbeliving crowd.

"Everyone. I know you're wondering what happened to Yifan." Zitao sighed.

"Yeah no shit! Where did he go?" Jaehyun looked around. He really didn't want to be the one to break the news.

"I'll tell you guys everything."

 

_The night before the plan would be put into action, Yifan cornered Jaehyun by himself._

_"I need to talk to you. Do you have a minute?" Yifan asked Jaehyun. Jaehyun looked around._

_"Yeah. C'mon." They both walked outside the base and looked at the night Dionian sky. Stars were in the air, and Yifan breathed out._

_"I have another plan." Jaehyun eyed him._

_"We already have a working plan." Yifan eyed him back._

_"Not one that's going to make sure Junmyeon doesn't come back. You really think killing him will do the trick? It isn't like he's not bound to some supernatural creature right now; he could probably bring himself back from the dead if he wanted to. If it benefits the Titans, then it benefits Junmyeon." Jaehyun stood and seriously thought about it. Yifan wasn't wrong, he wouldn't put it past Junmyeon to do something so outlandish like that._

_"What's your plan?"_

_"I'm going to sacrifice myself." Jaehyun coughed._

_"What?" Yifan nods._

_"I did some research. Sabra is strong enough to create a rift. Rifts are pure chaos, they entrap whatever they capture and there's no chance of getting out of it. If Sabra can create one and I can push Junmyeon in there, I'll go in there as well and make sure he doesn't try anything. He can't escape from me." Jaehyun sighed. Yifan was right again. If there was anything that was a seriously weak link to Junmyeon it was Yifan. Even though Junmyeon put up this front that he loved Taeyong just to irritate Jaehyun, everyone knew his true love was Yifan._

**_"His idea is good."_ ** _Sabra says from inside Jaehyun's head._

_"Sabra said your idea is good." Jaehyun echoes to Yifan. Yifan nods._

_**"We could just wait for Abeer to open one himself."** Sabra mentions. Jaehyun furrows his eyebrows._

_"What?" Yifan asks. Jaehyun shakes his head._

_"Sabra's talking to me. She says we could wait for Abeer to open on himself." Yifan frowns._

_"Who's Abeer?"_

_"The Titan King." Jaehyun answers. "Sabra, explain."_

_**"Before Junmyeon came along, Abeer would open rifts on towns of planets, killing humans and other creatures alike for food. He also did it because he enjoys it. He's strong enough to do it, and he doesn't like to fight for long. He gets irrirtated at the prospect of it. When a fight drags on too long for his liking, he'll usually just open up a rift. It's never failed on him yet, but who's to say it won't one day?"** Sabra explains. Jaehyun relays the information back to Yifan and Yifan nods._

_"We could just act like the plan that's created is the actual plan, but you fight Junmyeon and Abeer until he's tired. He opens up the rift, and I push Junmyeon inside. Jaehyun's eyes glow gold and immediately Sabra takes over._

_**"You'd have to be my new vessel."** Sabra simply states. Yifan looks around._

_"Why exactly?"_

_**"Your human body without some type of enhancement would disenegrate the minute you hit the inside of the rift."** Yifan shudders at the thought._

_"Alright. I'm okay with that. You just have to switch from Jaehyun to me in a moment they're distracted."_

**_"Exactly."_ ** _Sabra leaves and Jaehyun takes over again._

_"Are you sure you want to do this? What about Lysithea? What about everyone here? Don't you love it?" Yifan gave a sad chuckle._

_"Of course I love my planet and my people. I love everything about my life, but I can't let the love of my life hurt people any longer. Zitao is already in trouble with the Dionian government, so (and I've already taken precautions) I've made sure to leave the crown of Lysithea in his hands. He's young, but he can lead my people. If my people know that I put him in charge on my own will, they'll accept him. Besides, he'll have Mark, Taeil, and Doyoung to teach him the ropes. He'll learn quick just like I did." Jaehyun sighs._

_"You're way more heroic than me. I just want to kill him and be done with it. I would get satisfaction out of seeing the life drain out of his eyes." Yifan bit his lip._

_"It's not even about heroics at this point. It's just about righting wrongs. I was wrong when I ran away the first time; I'm not running away again." Jaehyun sniffled. He was crying._

_"Everyone's going to miss you. Ode loves you, y'know." Yifan nods._

_"I know. I love her too, I just...I just have to do this. I feel like I should, so I will. Sometimes I wonder why did I have to fall for a cold bastard like him anyway? The moment we started saying I told myself he would be the death of me. Didn't think it'd turn out to be literal." Yifan said dryly. Jaehyun couldn't help but laugh._

_"If Sabra uses your body as a vessel, then that means I won't have her anymore." Jaehyun mumbles. He was kind of sad about that fact. He had just gotten her back only to lose her again?_

_**"Jaehyun, I will miss you, too. But we must put what we want behind us for the greater good of the people."** Sabra says. Jaehyun nods._

_"I know. I just wish it didn't have to be this way."_

 

"That idiot. That idiot..." Zitao kept muttering. Jaehyun held his head down. 

"He did it to save us all." Luhan said, voice wobbling. Mark began to cry.

"I'm gonna miss Yifan...I can't believe he's gone." A somber mood fell over everyone. Seunghyun rushed out of his office.

"Where's Yifan? He needs to know all violence has just about ceased on the Mainland." Xiao eyed him with tears in her eyes.

"Yifan's gone. He sacrificed himself to save everyone from the Titan's wrath." Seunghyun gasped.

"Oh no..." Jaehyun didn't know what to do. They all just needed to wait to see if the plan would really follow through. Yifan had one last thing to do.

 

Yifan opened his eyes. It was cold and it was dark. He could tell he was floating. He saw various objects disenegrate and turn into dust right before his very eyes. Junmyeon still had his nails clawed into Yifan's back, but it hurt close to nothing now.

"Where are we?" Junmyeon asks, voice soft in a way Yifan hadn't heard in years.

"We're in the rift. We'll cease to exist soon." Yifan said with finality. Junmyeon sighed and tears began to flow from his eyes.

"I just wanted to be great. I just wanted to be  _enough._ Everyone kept beating me: Jaehyun, my own father. Everyone kept leaving me: my own mother, Luhan, Zitao... _you._ I just wanted to show that I could do it all. I could be great." Yifan stroked Junmyeon's back.

"Why? You were just enough." Junmyeon buried his head deeper into Yifan's chest.

"No I wasn't. I wasn't enough." Yifan sighed, tilting Junmyeon's head up to meet his eyes.

"You were just enough for me. You're a horrible person for the things you've done, but I know you. I know sides of you no one else will see. I loved you, hell, I still love you. Why do you think I sacrificed my life to stop you? I did it because if you're going to die...I deserve to know the truth before you do. Do you still love me?" Yifan asked. Junmyeon sniffled.

"I never stopped...it hurt me so bad when you left, I went out of control. I wanted to best Jaehyun at everything,  _everything._ I wanted to be on top. I wanted you to see that I had done it. That I had done  _enough_ so you would come back to me. I just wanted power, I was greedy and selfish and I...I wish I could take it all back."

"Are you saying that because you're about to die?" Yifan asks.

"I'm saying that because I mean it. I wish that I never followed in my father's footsteps. Sometimes I wonder what my life would have been like if when my mother left she took me, too. Or what life would have been like if my father never cheated. I killed my own father, Yifan. I let my own citizens be murdered. How can you still love me?"

"Because you're an insecure little shit who just needed love right next to him. I was wrong for leaving. I should have stayed." Yifan admits.

"If I were you I would have left, too. I was in too deep. I had made a deal with the devil...I couldn't go back. I made myself like steel so I wouldn't care. Now I'm about to die and all I feel is scared. But, I'm content."

"Why's that?"

"Because this'll finally be over. Abeer and Sabra are inside of us, they'll cease to exist, too." Yifan nods.

"Their energies will run out soon. We'll disenegrate." Junmyeon clutches Yifan's back even harder (if that was possible.)

"I know. Just...grant me one last wish and hold me." Yifan enclosed his form around Junmyeon's and they stayed like that, right until bit by bit their forms began to pull apart and float into nothingness. Yifan can say it didn't hurt, and if he and Junmyeon shared a kiss before it happened, no one would know. 

 

The rift began to shift, twisting and turning until a blinding white light encased everything. Everyone went blind for a few seconds, and when it was over, the rift was gone. 

"Holy shit. He did it. It's over." Jaehyun said, looking around. All the Titans were gone, and hopefully anymore threats.

"It's over. We won." Taeyong whispered.

"At the expense of Yifan." Luhan bit out.

"Yifan's the true hero here." Jaehyun says. Jaehyun raises one fist in the air.

"To Yifan, the man who saved us all." He says. Everyone raises a fist in the air as well.

"To Yifan!" The words echo across the building, and with them a new beginning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yeah it fucking hurt killing yifan but epilogue is next.


	30. sān shí / 三十 (thirty)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He smiles to himself, feeling content.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a very simple ending because i think that's what this story needs.

**PART FIVE: CATHARSIS (EPILOGUE)**

 

 

 

+

 

 

 

Jaehyun looked at the sunrise in the bed he shared with Taeyong. Taeyong sighed and rolled over in their bed to face Jaehyun.

"Is it time to get up already?" Taeyong mumbles. Jaehyun gives a soft chuckle and kisses the skin on Taeyong's shoulder.

"Nah, I'm just lookin' at the sunrise. It's gonna be a beautiful day." Taeyong snorts.

"I sure hope so. I'd be pissed if it wasn't. This celebration can't go wrong." That's right: it's a celebration today. The celebration of Yifan's life to be exact. Zitao made sure to alert everyone about it so they would know. Everyone who fought in that battle was invited to Lysithea to participate. The aftermath of that fight wasn't pretty in the slightest. Dione had many repairs they had to do, and Seunghyun (with his advisors) had to explain in detail what happened that night. No one was the same after that, but they got better.

Zitao was cleared of every charge Dione had pinned against him, and he was informed that Yifan had placed him as his successor for the crown of Lysithea. Zitao almost fainted with shock, but Ode caught him. Zitao immediately made sure Luhan was is commander-in-chief so that Luhan wouldn't have to back to working at Ceres anymore. It wasn't like Luhan's reputation diminished either. The first year of Zitao running Lysithea was bred full of rumors and critique. Zitao didn't consider himself someone who could lead a planet. A rebellion? Sure. A planet? Not so much. But with the help of his friends, he got the hang of it, and now he runs the planet in Yifan's honor. 

It was soon discovered that Ode loved Yifan, and Luhan helped her grive for him. Hanbin and his crew sadly did not reunite with the rest of their siblings to go back to Metis, but they did make sure that the leader of Metis knew they'd come home soon at some point. They didn't know when that would be exactly, but they'd be back.

Gaea was in a state of chaos when they came back. Hyunwoo had the Underground running things while they were gone, but the aristocrats of Gaea were foolish with the way they called for help against the "heathens" also known as the poor people. The middle class of Gaea were torn on which side to choose, and the soliders were shocked and repulsed with learning about what Junmyeon had ulitmately done. When Jaehyun arrived at Gaea with everyone else, he had announcements to make.

He told the people of the horrifying crimes Junmyeon had committed, and how he was supposed to be the true ruler of Gaea, but Junmyeon took his place. He then announced that he would be the ruler of Gaea now, and a majority of Gaea was overjoyed with this. Some remembered that Jaehyun was the rightful ruler, but some didn't care. As always, there would be opposers to who sat in the Chief's spot, but Jaehyun was fine with that. He would never be a ruler like Junmyeon, so those who opposed could keep their opinions. 

As for Ketzi'ah, Jaehyun in his first year of ruling had seen her again. He thought that she would have died in the blast along with all of the other Titans, but she was stronger than that.

 

_"Why are you here?" Jaehyun asked, clearly confused. "You should be dead." Ketzi'ah scoffed._

_"You truly think I'm on the same level as those other weaklings? Laughable. No, I'm not dead with Abeer because I have my own protection. Yeah, I killed people and in all honesty, I was a pawn in Abeer's game. I have to go back to Osiris. I've been floating throughout the universe because after the blast I did take a hit. When I came to, I knew I wasn't far from Gaea. I can't piece together how long I was out, but I just know it was for a while. That fight took a toll on my body." Jaehyun listened to her silently._

_"Coming back to Gaea was a gamble because I had to sneak around and live off the land for 3 days before I got here. My powers are shot because I basically had to use them all to land on this planet. Once I made it here, I knew I needed to talk to you. I'm going to become the new ruler of Osiris. Abeer had told all of us that Sabra was dead; that she just died on her own. I figured that he had done something to her and that fight told me all. It was smart that she stored herself away in you as a vessel. Sabra was a great woman...she truly was. She always wanted children, and sad thing is she saw herself having them with Abeer." Jaehyun shook his head in sadness. Sabra had such a big heart._

_"I'm going to rule Osiris in her honor. I'm not as bad as I seem. My previous actions were on me; Abeer made the crave for evil so intoxicating...it took me over. I know that doesn't excuse everything I've done, and if you hate me I understand. But, I'm going to go back to Osiris and make sure my people know the truth, and I'm telling you this because I would like Osiris and Gaea to have good relations." Jaehyun nodded his head._

_"It won't happen right away; you need to get your planet in control. But in the future, good relations can come. When your powers come back to you, you go to Osris and make good on this promise you've told me. Sabra would be happy about it." Jaehyun says. Ketzi'ah nods._

 

It took her a few years, but Ketzi'ah had made Osiris a planet all beings could visit and inhabit. Some people were still scared of Titans; that just came with the territory. Ketzi'ah proved to be a good leader. She made smart political decisions having Osiris aid several planets in wars. Osiris had finally made it's mark in the universe, and day by day it was moving away from the former Planet X.

Heechul had no reason to hide, but he went back into hiding anyway. The Underground stayed an organization, them being a branch of the Renegades. Hyunwoo worked closely with Jaehyun on plans. Not everybody from division 127 stayed on Gaea, though. Jaehyun, Taeyong, Lucas, Jungwoo, Ten, Kun, and Johnny went back to Gaea. Mark, Doyoung, and Taeil went back to stay on Lysithea because they considered that planet a new home, but they visited Gaea from time to time. Yuta and Sicheng went back to Phobos, and based on the phone calls Jaehyun would get from Yuta, he and Sicheng were pretty okay.

Lucas and Jaehyun eventually got on better terms. It would never be what it once was, but maybe it was better. Hakyeon went back to Phobos to rule, and Xiao didn't go with him. Hakyeon had accepted that Zhi had Xiao's heart now, and Hakyeon was okay with that. Luna was someone he could see himself with, and with her being his top advisor, that wasn't a bad notion. Zhi didn't go back to Ceres with Mina, but instead he fufilled Xiao's wishes at the beginning of this whole adventure which was to go to Laomedia, the planet her parents were origionally from. Xiao checked in with Taeyong from time to time (Taeyong told her not to become a stranger and she made on that statement). 

All of Junmyeon's past advisors were given the option to either stay on Gaea, or leave and go do other things in the universe. Minseok immediately left and became re-united with Luhan, and Jaehyun had a feeling they were going to be wed soon. Most decided to stay on Gaea, helping Jaehyun out and he had no problem with that. They were all smart in that way.

They all were handling their own business, but when it was time for the celebration of Yifan, they all made time to be there. The celebration set on Yifan's birthday, and Taeyong turned in the bed. Jaehyun breathed out. Sometimes he wonders what would have happened if they had went with the origional plan. Junmyeon probably would have kept reaking havoc in the universe. He just wished Yifan didn't have to sacrifice himself. He hopes Yifan had some type of solace with Junmyeon beforehand. He died with the love of his life, after all. Anytime Junmyeon's name is uttered, people recoil and most warn their kids to never become like him. 

Jaehyun often finds himself wondering where did it all go wrong for Junmyeon. He was a bright man who could have had a successful future, but then he notes that's not for him to worry about. He also wonders if Sabra is happier now. He misses having her around; she could help him through all the tight fixes he's had throughout these past few years. 

"I'm just gonna get up, I can't get comfortable anymore." Taeyong says, standing up and stretching. Jaehyun shakes his head. He knows Taeyong now, and he knows that if he does that he's going to fall asleep in the middle of the celebration, waking up when the sun is setting. He doesn't say anything to his husband though. That's right: Jaehyun and Taeyong got married. It took a while (two extra years) but they finally tied the knot. Taeyong was a close asset when it came to handling Gaea seeing as he was the leader of the Underground along with Hyunwoo, and he loved that his husband helped him out in his affairs. 

Jaehyun gazes lovingly at Taeyong's retreating form and he shifts in the bed so he's turned towards the sun peeking through their blinds. He smiles to himself, feeling content.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> holy fuck this is the end of this long ass fic! this story took me 9 MONTHS to write are you kidding me! (that is way too long!) another thanks to any and everyone who even clicked on this story. whether you commented all the time or you were a silent reader, whether you just read, gave kudos, bookmarked, shared, whatever! i appreciate you. this fic like...idk it really challenged me. as i said in the beginning, i kept having this dream that a character woke up day after day not remembering anything. the rest was just me building on the plot as i went along that turned from a story about jaehyun not remembering anything to saving planets from insane ass creatures. (plot jump, i know)
> 
> as for a sequel...i'm not going to confirm anything but i want to do something concerning the dreamies so maybe...i can't be sure yet because my next semester is gonna be rough. but just thank you for this crazy ride; i wanted to give up writing this fic many times but i pushed through, and i'm honestly glad i did. <3
> 
> \- luoyingu

**Author's Note:**

> if u ever wanna chat:
> 
> insta: @taeyongshakur / @kmsseok
> 
> tumblr: @kardsine
> 
> twitter: @luoyingu


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